site.btaBulgaria, Poland Discuss Defence Industry Cooperation

Expanding cooperation between Bulgaria and Poland in defence and the defence industry was the focus of talks between Bulgaria's Deputy Defence Minister Katerina Gramatikova-Ivanova and Poland's Deputy Minister of National Defence Magdalena Sobkowiak-Czarnecka, who is visiting Bulgaria with a government and business delegation, the Bulgarian Defence Ministry said on Wednesday.

The meeting was attended by Deputy Economy Minister Mihaela Karadimova, Deputy Chief of Defence Lieutenant General Krasimir Kanev, and representatives of both ministries. The Polish delegation included representatives of state institutions related to defence, security and the defence industry.

Gramatikova-Ivanova emphasized the two countries' long-standing defence partnership, which forms a basis for developing future active cooperation in the implementation of modernization projects aimed at enhancing combat capabilities in line with NATO and EU initiatives to strengthen the Alliance's Eastern Flank.

Sobkowiak-Czarnecka said Poland could contribute significant technological, industrial and operational expertise to defence projects. She expressed Poland's readiness to work closely with Bulgarian institutions and the defence industry to identify concrete opportunities for cooperation and develop projects aimed at boosting the effectiveness, autonomy and competitiveness of Europe's defence sector.

The Bulgarian side presented the Armed Forces' key modernization projects, including the nine proposals Bulgaria has submitted to the European Commission for funding under the SAFE mechanism. It also stressed the Defence Ministry's commitment to involving Bulgarian companies in their implementation. The participants agreed that strong partnerships and alliances would support joint applications for funding under the EU's next Multiannual Financial Framework.

The talks also covered opportunities for Bulgarian-Polish cooperation beyond the SAFE framework, including military-technical cooperation, aircraft maintenance, space technologies, the production of unmanned systems and counter-drone capabilities, and the use of military educational institutions to enhance personnel training.