Recently a controversial statement of Bulgaria's outgoing Minister of Interior regarding possible terrorist attack threat over Bulgaria, due to the riot at the migrant center in Harmanli, raised the question whether that country was at risk of terrorist attacks. In two consecutive days outgoing Interior Minister Rumiana Bachvarova confirmed and then denied that the Ministry of Interior had information that such terrorist attack had been prepared.

“Currently, the number of safe places worldwide is very low”, Bulgaria's MP from the Democrats for Strong Bulgaria and former Director of the National Security Service Atanas Atanasov told Radio Bulgaria. “The war in Syria and the terrorist attacks in many secure European countries show that the risk of such attacks always exists. However, in my view, the risk of a possible terrorist attack in Bulgaria is very low, because that country is not the main target of the terrorists - they usually attack places which may provoke serious repercussions in public opinion worldwide. Despite the low level of threat, the Bulgarian services do not have the capacity to take preventive actions, which is Bulgaria's biggest problem.”  

In Atanas Atanasov's view, the special services are headed by dependent people who “serve oligarchic and corporate interests”. That is why their potential is limited and the honest staff members were demotivated, because their results are used for political bargaining. That is why the external threats linked with possible penetration of radicalized people and their attempts to create sleeper terrorist cells are not the biggest risk posed on Bulgaria, Atanas Atanasov contends and adds: 

“Uninvestigated and unpunished corruption is the biggest threat posed on the country's national security, because it destroys the institutions. It became clear in the past two years, when GERB was in charge of the country, that there was no will and motivation to fight high-level corruption. It also became clear that Boyko Borissov himself was distributing the “portions”(a metaphor created by Bulgaria's philosopher and politician Ahmed Dogan) of public, budget and European funds among a close circle of friends.”

In order to illustrate his words Atanas Atanasov gave an example with the Regional Court in the town of Malko Tarnovo, where lawsuits for migrant smuggling were initiated against foreign citizens, but no Bulgarian nationals were handed in such indictments.

“This is a proof that the smugglers who are part of an international crime network are patronized by the institutions”, Atanas Atanasov contends. “They are patronized by the Ministry of Interior and also by the Border Police, the services which combat organized crime and the internal security services of the Ministry of Interior which have to fight that fundamental corruption problem. Let us assume that foreign smugglers bring migrants to our state border. The question is who brings them in Sofia by busses and who helps them reach the Bulgaria-Serbia border? When the Serbian authorities sent military staff to their country border with Bulgaria and the migrant smuggling channels were intercepted, the riot at Harmanli migrant accommodation center occurred. In my view those migrants paid huge amount of money to reach Germany and did not intend to stay in Bulgaria. In other words, the migrant smuggling network, which is very-well organized, hashigh-level protection at the Ministry of Interior. That is why it is functioning well, it is not subject to investigations and no indictments were filed so far.” 

How global information war fits in the general context of threat over the statesecurity?

“We are mainly subject to such type of war by the Russian special services who benefit from the tension in the Middle East to instill fear in Bulgaria”, Atanas Atanasov further added: “The friendship between the Bulgarians and the Russians is used for creation of sentiments against Bulgaria's membership in NATO and the EU. Unfortunately, the institutions are not counteracting the hybrid war. They were not doing that even before premier Borissov handed in the resignation of his cabinet. Some parties are even using that wave to secure more votes in the forthcoming elections”, Atanas Atanasov concludes. 

English version: Kostadin Atanasov