Bulgaria’s Defence Minister: US defence secretary visit to Bulgaria is extremely significant

The forthcoming visit to Bulgaria by US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin is extremely significant, Defence Minister Dragomir Zakov told Bulgarian National Radio on March 15.

U.S. Defence Secretary will visit Bulgaria

He said that the visit was at his invitation, extended during his conference call with the US Defence Secretary a few days ago.

"The visit shows the strong commitment of the United States to NATO as a whole. It is not because Bulgaria is the weak link in the Alliance, on the contrary - Bulgaria seeks to contribute whatever it can and this is appreciated by our allies," Zakov commented.

He said that the 2022 State of Defence and Armed Forces of the Republic of Bulgaria Report would be ready in the coming days.

"We have tried to present the real picture with conclusions and proposals in it. The Bulgarian army needs a number of key and vital capabilities. It is important to have a comprehensive armament and modernisation programme," Minister Dragomir Zakov said.

He also commented on the issue of the limited resources of the MiG-29 fighter jets, with which Bulgaria currently conducts airspace protection.

"The resource is small and insufficient, so we will rely on our allies. We are looking for options for Bulgaria to continue the Air Policing mission. We are not only policing Bulgarian sky, we are also policing NATO space. If necessary, we will also do it with our allies," Dragomir Zakov stressed and explained that different options for the maintenance of the fighter jets are currently being discussed and developed.