BELGRADE, Serbia

The Bulgarian army has a 20% personnel shortage, the country's defense minister said, hoping this year's rise in salaries would help increase interest in serving in the military, the state-run BTA news agency reported.

"We were able to increase the salaries of the military already this year. I hope that this measure will help increase interest in serving in the army, but it will not be enough, and a more complex solution should be considered," Todor Tagarev told reporters in Sofia on Monday after a diploma-awarding ceremony at the Rakovski National Defence College.

In March, the Defense Ministry said a demographic crisis and increasing wages in the private sector have led to the understaffing of the military.

Meanwhile, President Rumen Radev signed a decree scheduling the elections for mayors and municipal councilors for Oct. 29.