SOFIA – Bulgaria can play a key role in Europe’s defence efforts through its defence industry, European Council President António Costa said on Sunday following a meeting with Bulgarian Prime Minister Rossen Jeliazkov.
Costa is on a three-day visit to Bulgaria and is set to tour the Arsenal Arsenal JSCo, a leading Bulgarian firearms and ammunition manufacturer based in Kazanluk.
“The security of Europe starts in Ukraine. The security of Europe and Ukraine can not be separated. We took the decision to significantly increase our investments in defence. To invest more in defence means to invest more in our economy and capacity for research and innovation.
If we want to succeed in this defence programme we need to mobilise all the capacity in different member states. Bulgaria has good conditions to have a key role in this process. Not only to provide Bulgarian necessities but also to provide and to be a great supplier of defence capabilities of other European countries“, Costa said.
The President of the EU Council also underlined that his visit comes at a significant time for Bulgaria, following its accession to the Schengen Area and its ongoing preparations to join the eurozone.
“Bulgaria will continue to be a constructive, predictable and reliable partner as the EU faces geopolitical and economic challenges,” Prime Minister Rossen Jeliazkov said.
Later on Sunday, Costa held talks with Bulgarian President Rumen Radev.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump Jr., son of the US president, also arrived in Sofia during his European tour. Trump Jr. refused media access to his event with Bulgarian business representatives, instructing journalists to leave before he disembarked from his plane and again at the venue, citing that he was “not in the mood for photos.”
Despite the closed-door nature of the event, it emerged that Trump Jr. met with Boyko Borissov, leader of the GERB party – the largest political force in the Bulgarian parliament.