site.btaPresident Radev: Government Responsible for Protecting National Interest in Rheinmetall Agreement

The parameters of the agreement with the German automotive and arms manufacturer Rheinmetall and the way it safeguards the Bulgarian national interest are entirely the responsibility of the Government, President Rumen Radev told journalists in Riyadh on Tuesday. The head of State is on a visit to Saudi Arabia.

The Bulgarian State and Rheinmetall officially announced the start of a project for the construction of a gunpowder and ammunition plant on Tuesday. At a ceremony earlier in the day at the Council of Ministers, the agreement was signed by Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger and the company’s Weapons and Ammunition Department Head Roman Kohne. On the Bulgarian side, the contract was signed by VMZ Executive Director Ivan Getsov.

“My priority has always been the development of modern defence capabilities for the Bulgarian Armed Forces and the strengthening of a strong, competitive Bulgarian defence industry. It was precisely with this aim that I held a meeting with Armin Papperger during the Munich Security Conference earlier this year. I persuaded him to come to Bulgaria and invited him to the presidential administration building, where we presented the full spectrum of opportunities within our defence industry. I also arranged meetings for him with the Bulgarian Government,” Radev said.

“We need new technologies and partnerships with our strategic allies, but I expect the Bulgarian interest to be protected as well. This is the Government’s responsibility - how it signs such agreements and how it implements them,” the President added.

In Riyadh, Radev took part in the ninth edition of the Future Investment Initiative (FII) international forum at the invitation of the country’s Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman. Earlier in the day, the Bulgarian head of State also participated in a discussion on "the real price of economic security” and met with Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Commerce Majid bin Abdullah Al-Kassabi and FII Institute Executive Committee Chair Richard Attias.