Former head of the Bulgarian national intelligence service, Kircho Kirov, thinks that Serbia is becoming "a regional military factor."

Beta agency reported this on Thursday, citing Kirov as saying that his country, as a NATO member, "has problems with its rearmament, while Serbia is receiving modern Russian combat equipment for free."

The tension between NATO and Russia is developing dangerously close to Bulgaria, and undoubtedly will affect the situation in the region, he told Radio Focus, and added that Russia is interpreting NATO’s actions in the Black Sea as aggressive - "and will retaliate."

“It is evident that this is a game of nerves, which will continue in the future. We can only hope that the nerves of both sides are sufficiently strong and durable so that there is no further development and provocation, which to cause a military confrontation. All of this creates a dangerous situation, and it should be observed with particular attention by our armed forces and management," Kirov told the station, as cited by Focus Information Agency.

"It is now obvious that Russia is relying on Serbia, and it has always been like that," he said, adding that his country's neighbor to the west "really turned out to be a country surrounded by member states of the Alliance, but receives military help from Russia."

Bulgaria, as a NATO member state, has problems with its rearmament, while Serbia receives modern combat equipment for free, as well as modern aircraft and rocketry. Serbia is becoming a regional factor in military terms," Kirov said.

As for "the Kosovo-Serbia problem," the former top Bulgarian spy thinks it will #continue to exist for a long time" - while his country "should also be anxious in regards to these nearby processes."

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