site.btaPresident Radev Meets with U.S. Air War College Representatives

Bulgaria’s President Rumen Radev met with students and faculty of the U.S. Air War College (AWC) here on Tuesday, the head of State’s Press Secretariat said. The discussions centred on the security environment and regional and international challenges arising from multiple interconnected crises. The sides explored ways to end the conflict in Ukraine and Europe’s role in this process. 

Among these challenges, Radev singled out Bulgaria’s role as “a guarantor of energy diversification and transport connectivity in the Balkans and Southeast Europe”. 

An emphasis was laid on Bulgarian-US defence and security partnership and bilateral cooperation in modernizing the Bulgarian Armed Forces. 

The President said that “investment is needed not only in large-scale modernization projects for the Armed Forces but also in smaller projects that ensure asymmetric superiority”. He added that, alongside acquiring defence equipment, the continuation of joint exercises and the exchange of expertise are crucial for building modern defence capabilities. Radev also stressed the importance of training Bulgarian servicepersons in the United States.

The AWC representatives presented the head of State with an eagle statuette. For his part, Radev gave the guests a plaquette of the Madara Rider, epitomizing Bulgaria’s centuries-old statehood and cultural heritage.