Bulgarian President calls for sharp increase in defence investment

Sofia, May 6 (IANS) Bulgarian President Rumen Radev on Tuesday called for a boost to defence investment, in order to modernise the country's armed forces.

Speaking at the traditional Army Day parade in the capital Sofia, Radev announced: "Today we finally said goodbye to the illusion that membership in defence alliances without developing our own defence capabilities is a sufficient condition for guaranteeing security."

Bulgaria has been under the pressure from its obligations and commitments as a member of NATO, and its Armed Forces have been the focus of the country's financial policy, Radev said at the event.

The parade was also attended by the country's Prime Minister Rossen Jeliazkov, Parliament Speaker Nataliya Kiselova, members of parliament, senior military staff and thousands of citizens.

"We are facing new challenges: to transform money for the army into modern defence capabilities and a high level of interoperability with our allies," said the President, who is also the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the country's armed forces.

"This requires a sharp increase in defense investment," added Radev, who was a professional jet fighter pilot until 2016, when he retired from the army as commander of the Bulgarian Air Force. Shortly afterwards, he was elected president of his country.

A high level of professionalism, clear strategy, and transparency are also required to meet these new challenges, Radev added, Xinhua news agency reported.

With the participation of some 700 soldiers, the parade was opened in the traditional manner by a Mi-17 helicopter carrying the national flag, escorted by two AS-532 AL Cougar helicopters.

May 6 was officially nominated Day of the Bulgarian Army in 1880, just after the country's liberation from Ottoman rule.

Bulgarian Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov said on Monday that a defence budget of two per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) is not sufficient to meet the country's needs. Therefore, the state, political leadership and the public need to be convinced that a budget of 3-3.5 per cent is the minimum for ensuring the modernization of the country's armed forces.

--IANS

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