President Rumen Radev: Strategic military reserves should be replenished as quickly as possible

The security challenges facing Europe make industrial cooperation and the joint development of defence technologies and products a necessity, President Rumen Radev said during a meeting at the presidential institution with Armin Papperger, the CEO of Europe's largest defence industry corporation, Rheinmetall on March 26. Papperger is visiting Bulgaria at the initiative of the Bulgarian President to discuss specific projects for investment and industrial cooperation with the Bulgarian defence industry and science. This meeting is a continuation of the discussions between President Radev and Armin Papperger at the Munich Security Conference in February of this year.

"We need to rethink our own attitude to our responsibility for ensuring security and to the approaches for building adequate defence capabilities within the framework of the common European defence and NATO," the President stressed.

In his words, priority should be given to the areas where there is a shortage of capabilities, while strategic military reserves should be replenished as quickly as possible and an industrial base should be built with the continuous introduction of new technologies for the modernisation of our Armed Forces.

The Head of State stressed that it is high time for the EU countries to overcome the strong fragmentation in the European defence industry and focus on cooperation in the development and production of defence products. Rumen Radev pointed out that Armin Papierger's visit to Bulgaria is extremely important against the background of the clearly stated political will for intensive cooperation in the EU in the field of defence and the defence industry and highlighted the opportunities for partnership with Rheinmetall, as well as the strategic importance of Germany for Bulgaria as the largest trade and economic partner and leading investor in the country.

"Bulgaria's military industry has a rich experience and a well-established position in global markets," emphasised Rumen Radev.

The President drew attention to Bulgaria's ambitious modernization programme for its army and highlighted that the country is one of the leading European producers of ammunition and light weapons. Bulgarian companies in the sector are continuously expanding the scope of their production in high-tech areas, which opens up opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation in these fields.

During the meeting, the Head of State also expressed Bulgaria's interest in expanding its own production capacities in the defence industry with the support of Bulgaria's strategic partners, which is in the interest of both national security and improving the economic environment in the country. Increasing the production of gunpowder in Bulgaria, including for export, given the increased demand in Europe due to the complicated security environment, was also one of the focal points of the conversation.

Armin Paperger expressed Rheinmetall's ambition to build a lasting partnership with Bulgaria and Bulgarian business, highlighting the country's experience in the production of ammunition and armaments. The CEO of the German defence concern also pointed out that he hopes for a soon realization of the company's investments in Bulgaria.

The discussions at the Presidential building included Minister of Defence Atanas Zapryanov, Chief of Defence Admiral Emil Eftimov, Minister of Economy and Industry Petar Dilov, Deputy Minister of Innovation and Growth Martin Danovski, as well as representatives of Bulgaria’s defence industry.