site.btaDefence Minister Zapryanov Meets with US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense David Baker

Meeting in Sofia on Friday, Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov and David Baker, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for European and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Policy, the Defence Ministry said in a press release. David Baker is on a visit to our country, during which he will take part in the ceremony to welcome the first Bulgarian F-16 Block 70 fighter aircraft from the new-type combat aircraft squadron that the Bulgarian Air Force will acquire by the end of 2027 in fulfilment of the two contracts signed in 2019 and 2022. 

The main focus of the talks was on the modernization projects of the Bulgarian Armed Forces, which are being implemented mainly with the help of the US government and with the participation of US companies, and the progress made so far in the implementation of the contracts for the acquisition of F-16 Block 70 aircraft and Stryker fighters was discussed. The annual joint exercises and trainings that take place on the territory of the Bulgarian-US facilities were also the focus of the discussions. Both sides underlined the importance of successful defence cooperation and expressed their commitment to continuing the strategic partnership between Bulgaria and the United States.

During the meeting, security issues in the Black Sea region were discussed with a focus on the activation of the Mine Counter Measures Maritime Group in the Black Sea (MCM Black Sea), formed by Bulgaria, Turkey and Romania and open to NATO member states. Among the main topics of the talks were the increase in defence spending, the prospects for the defence industry in the context of the European rearmament initiatives under discussion, the establishment of harmonized military mobility corridors in the Eastern flank of the Alliance, support for Ukraine and the efforts of the international community to achieve a lasting and just peace.       

The meeting was attended by Deputy Defence Minister Adelina Nikolova, Chief of Defence Admiral Emil Eftimov, Susan Falatko - Charge d'Affaires of the US Embassy in Bulgaria and Defense Attache Colonel Paul Sebold.