FM Gabriel: Growing External Political Risks Increase Need of Innovative Solutions in Defence Industry

Dimitrina Solakova

Foreign Minister Mariya Gabriel addressing the conference on defence industry and innovation, Sofia, Feb. 6, 2024 (BTA Photo)

Sofia,

06.02.2024 12:46

(BTA)

The return to Europe of a large-scale war of high intensity is a significant change in the EU's strategic environment, which will inevitably affect European security with serious consequences in many areas, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mariya Gabriel said here on Tuesday. She was speaking at a conference on the defence industry and innovation, the first item on the official calendar of events marking the 20th anniversary of Bulgaria's accession to NATO.

Opening the forum, Gabriel said that the external political risks are growing and with them, military conflicts. The more these risks grow, the more the need increases for innovative solutions in defence. In her words, the threats to the democratic communities and the principles and values they uphold have been growing in the last years: disinformation and fake news, which are already generated with the use of AI, cyberattacks, data theft, putting entire systems at risk from crashing due to malicious influences caused by technological instruments.

"The growing tension and inherited instability in many of our neighbouring regions require an even more convincing geopolitical positioning of the EU and NATO based on a common approach that is directed at deterrence, strengthening of defence readiness and targeted investment in defence capabilities," she argued.

According to Gabriel, the EU has achieved unprecedented progress in defence industry cooperation for the strengthening of its capacity and the provision of assistance. "We expect a large-scale and long-term response from the European defence industry strategy under development," she said. These efforts become even more important now, in the context of the changed security environment right next to the EU's borders, "with Russia's continued war against Ukraine and all the global challenges stemming from this illegal aggression against a sovereign country".

The conference was organized by the Defence Ministry in collaboration with the Innovation and Growth Ministry and the Economy and Industry Ministry. Among the participants were Ministers Todor Tagarev of Defence, Milena Stoycheva of Innovation and Growth and Galin Tsokov of Education and Science, deputy ministers, and National Assembly Defence Committee Chair Hristo Gadzhev.

/RY/