Issues of national security and defence are not obstacles to sealing the deal for the Bulgarian Telecommunication Company /BTC/ according to Minister of Defence Boiko Noev. Noev further said that Greece and Bulgaria are close friends and Bulgaria expected to shortly become a formal ally with Greece if it is granted access to the EU. The defence minister said that Bulgaria's defence interests would not be hurt. Presently, the armed forces are also paying to the telecom company for the services rendered. The final outcome of the negotiations for the sale of BTC - one option includes a new tender if the current negotiations fail - is expected to be announced next week