site.btaDefence Minister: Bulgaria Is Among NATO Countries Expected to Meet Defence Spending Increase Target

Brussels, February 15 (Nickolay Zheliazkov of BTA) - Bulgaria is one of the NATO countries which are expected to meet the target for defence spending increase to 2 per cent of GDP by 2024, Defence Minister Krassimir Karakachanov said here Thursday. He was speaking to Bulgarian reporters covering a NATO defence ministerial in the Belgian capital Wednesday and Thursday.

He recalled that on January 3 the Bulgarian government adopted a national plan for increasing defence spending to 2 per cent of GDP, and made a commitment to annual increases until the goal is reached.

Karakachanov said that the defence spending increase is not merely a commitment his country has made to NATO: Bulgaria needs to increase defence spending as it needs to modernize its Armed Forces, carry through the modernization projects for the three armed services and improve their capacity, he said.

He believes that unlike other European countries, there is awareness in Bulgaria of the need of larger defence spending. "The big question is how to make sure the defence budget is spent in the best way in order to ensure acquisition of state-of-the-art equipment and maximum increase of the capacity of the armed forces," he added.

Karakachanov met Thursday with US Defence Secretary James Mattis. It has been the first meeting at this level since 2014.

The Bulgarian Defence Minister invited his US counterpart to visit Bulgaria.

He said that the two sides discussed the develop of defence cooperation and the need to enhance it further. He believes that the meeting "was the first step in this direction".

At the meeting Bulgaria expressed readiness to participate in a future NATO training operation in Iraq.