SOFIA: Bulgarian prosecutors charged outgoing Defence Minister Nikolay Nenchev on Wednesday over an agreement with NATO ally Poland for repairs of its Soviet-era MiG-29 fighter jets.
The charges allege that Poland may not be able to repair the jets, a situation that would threaten Bulgaria's air defences.
Last year, Sofia decided to turn to Poland to servicing the jets as part of a push by Bulgaria, Moscow's most loyal ally during the Cold War, to reduce its reliance on Russia.
The Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG - the maker of the fighter jets - said the jets could not be repaired in Poland because Warsaw did not have the right to provide spare parts for the aircraft to third countries.
Under the agreement, Bulgaria gets two jet engines on loan from Poland for two years, and Warsaw will repair the engines of six MiG-29 jets for an estimated 6.14 million euros.
