ATHENS

The Bulgarian Cabinet approved a draft memorandum with Türkiye on cross-border airspace security operations, media reports said Friday.

Such operations are conducted by duty war jets of one country in the airspace of a neighboring country on the basis of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) concluded between the governments of the two NATO countries in the scope of the alliance’s Integrated Air and Missile Defense System (NATINAMDS), also known as NATO air-policing missions, said news agency BTA.

It noted that Bulgaria signed the MoU and conducts such cross-border airspace security operations with Romania and Greece.

With its accession in 2004, the airspace of Bulgaria became part of the alliance’s airspace and the Bulgarian Air Force MiG-29 fighter jets were included in NATINAMDS.

Under NATO’s Assurance Measures, other NATO allies deploy fighter jets to Bulgaria to supplement Bulgarian capability and enhance interoperability.