"We have not abolished the project of acquiring the new fighter," Naydenov said at a press conference. "We have frozen the process because we have not started a purchasing procedure," he said.

　　However, Naydenov said that if there is sufficient budget in 2014, Bulgaria could proceed with the implementation of larger projects for the modernization of the armed forces.

　　Naydenov added that very intense work on the preparation of the multirole fighter acquisition project was underway. His ministry could introduce a competitive tender procedure instead of the previous approach of direct negotiations, Naydenov said.

　　Naydenov said the condition of Bulgaria's military equipment as a whole "was desperate," citing how last week at the Krumovo military base, 11 of the 12 helicopters were on the ground due to technical problems.

　　Last December, the previous Bulgarian government authorized the then-defense minister Anyu Angelov to conduct negotiations on the acquisition of at least eight multirole fighters. The new fighter was to replace the former Soviet-made MiG-21 fighters and Su-25 ground-support aircraft.