site.bta Defence Minister Zapryanov Meets with German Defence Ministry's State Secretary Zimmer

Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov Wednesday met with Benedikt Zimmer, State Secretary at Germany's Federal Ministry of Defence, Bulgaria's Defence Ministry said.

Zapryanov praised highly bilateral defence cooperation and the open relations based on constructive dialogue. The sides expressed a readiness to ramp up interaction and develop new partnerships by jointly participating in projects and initiatives of common interest.

Security in the Black Sea region, the need to increase the defence budget, the enhancement of the defence capabilities and interoperability of the Bulgarian Armed Forces, and aspects in which Germany can provide assistance to Bulgaria were the focus of the talks. Zapryanov said the modernization and rearmament of the Bulgarian Armed Forces are underway, the aim being to strengthen the deterrence and defence capabilities.

Military-technical cooperation was also on the agenda of the meeting. Zapryanov expressed appreciation for Germany's support for the modernization of the Bulgarian Armed Forces, including within the European Sky Shield initiative. 

The sides mapped out joint steps following the signing in September of a Programme Agreement between the defence ministries of the two countries on the joint purchase of IRIS-T SLM ground-based air defence systems. "The decision of the Federal Ministry of Defence to provide project management services free of charge is a fine example of cooperation in arms policy," Zapryanov said.

Secretary of State Benedikt Zimmer identified as a key factor in the development of military capabilities the conduct of as many different joint trainings and exercises as possible in order to maximize the effect of interoperability among the NATO Allies.

The sides affirmed their readiness for further constructive talks that will deepen military-technical cooperation.

Participating in the meeting were German Ambassador Irene Maria Plank, the Chief of Defence, Admiral Emil Eftimov, Deputy Defence Minister Adelina Nikolova, the Deputy Chief of Defence, Lt. Gen. Tsanko Stoykov, Air Force Deputy Commander Brig. Gen. Dimitar Georgiev, Brig. Gen. Lyubomir Monov, Director of Defence Policy and Planning at the Defence Ministry, and the German Embassy's Defence Attache Lt. Col. Sebastian Erbe.