Bulgaria must uphold its interest in the negotiations on the purchase of fighter aircraft, President Rumen Radev said. The president stated he appreciates the government's efforts to comply with the commitments to modernize the army, assumed by the Presidential Consultative Council on National Security a month ago.

Rumen Radev expects the commitment to be observed of keeping to the instalment plan of payment for fighter aircraft and ships, for which financing has been guaranteed, including the project for armoured vehicles for the land forces:

“There must be programmes for industrial cooperation and offset for each one of these projects, especially for the fighter aircraft. These are not just projects by the Ministry of Defence, these are projects by Bulgaria. New jobs must be created in the sphere of high-tech and I very much hope that the government will do its utmost to observe this mandatory requirement.”

Yesterday, PM Boyko Borissov declared that the government intends to open negotiations with Sweden on the purchase of Gripen fighter aircraft. Borissov explained this with the actions of the caretaker cabinet appointed by President Radev.

"Negotiations have been going on for 5-6 months. These are difficult negotiations, with a great deal of detail in which we must uphold our interest. If the Bulgarian government plays its cards right, it will not fall from power but will be stabilized further because it can contribute a lot. It is time we stopped investing in production that is not all that technological," President Radev commented.