Prime Minister Rossen Jeliazkov: To invest in defense is to invest for the future

Prime Minister Rossen Jeliazkov: To invest in defense is to invest for the future

13.04.2025

The modernization of the Bulgarian Army, including the Air Force, is a Bulgarian government's priority. We highly appreciate our partnership with the United States in this sector. This was stated by Prime Minister Rossen Jeliazkov at his meeting with David Baker, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for European and NATO Policy before the official ceremony to welcome the first Bulgarian F-16 Block 70 fighter at the Third Air Base in Graf Ignatievo. At the meeting, Mr. Jeliazkov and Mr. Baker discussed the Bulgaria-US strategic partnership and in particular, cooperation in defense and security. The Prime Minister and the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense agreed that investment in defense is an investment for the future.

Prime Minster Rossen Jeliazkov pointed out that the acquisition of F-16 Block 70 offers Bulgaria further opportunities to modernize its Armed Forces and to increase interoperability with our allies. He recalled that it was at the time of the first term in office of US President Donald Trump that the government headed by Prime Minister Boyko Borissov concluded the contract for the acquisition of the first eight F-16 Block 70 fighters. Under the schedule of the US Air Force and of the aircraft manufacturer Lockheed Martin Aeronautics (LМ Aero), the first eight F-16 Block 70 fighters are to arrive in Bulgaria by the end of 2025 and the second batch of eight fighters is expected by end the of 2027.

For his part, David Baker noted that the Trump Administration appreciates Bulgaria's effort to modernize its Armed Forces, a symbol of which is the first fighter of the F-16 Block 70 squadron. David Baker pointed out that the fighters bring new capabilities to the Bulgarian Army and are essential for its interoperability with NATO. In his words, the implementation of the project demonstrates, inter alia, Bulgaria-US friendship.