Bulgaria’s President Attends NATO Summit in Brussels

Arriving in Brussels for the NATO Summit on Monday, Bulgarian President Rumen Radev said that unity among the NATO member states is a key factor for their security. Speaking to reporters, the Bulgarian President said that he speaks of unity not only in the context of the general political will for developing adequate defence capabilities and achieving interoperability, but also for advancing the defence indistry and leading technologies.

Radev heads a Bulgarian delegation attending a meeting of NATO Heads of State and Government on June 14. During the Summit NATO leaders will discuss key issues, take decisions about the future of NATO and agree on measures to adapt the Alliance as part of the NATO 2030 agenda. Radev is expected to hold bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the event.

He added that the 2030 agenda of the Alliance sets ambitious goals.

He recalled that during the Alliance Summit in 2019 he raised the question about the growing gap between the producer countries, which develop their economy and social systems thanks to the production and export of high-tech defence products, and countries which buy these products and thus invest in the economies of the advanced countries and worsen even more the social and economic disparity. "I suggested ways for overcoming these disparities among the NATO members through strengthening industrial cooperation and technology exchange with each major military deal. I am happy to see than the NATO 2030 plan there are projects which go in that direction," said Radev.

He added that the projects due to be discussed at the Brussels Summit, are of huge significance for the development of the Bulgarian defence industry, research potential, private enterprise and startup eco-systems.