There was only one specific offer to Bulgaria and we reacted immediately, it was about armored vehicles. We immediately went out with a team to go and assess her, but there was no development on the matter. The proposal was made by a NATO member country. It was a machine that has been in service for a long time, we wanted to evaluate it, but it did not come to that.
This is what the Chief of Defense Admiral Emil Eftimov told BNT about whether Bulgaria receives an offer to receive replacement equipment if it donates its old weaponry to Ukraine.
A year has passed since the beginning of the war, it has fundamentally changed the situation in terms of security. I can firmly state that we are doing everything possible so that Bulgarian citizens can feel protected and safe, he assured.
Assistance from the democratic world to Ukraine is critical. My responsibility is to develop and modernize the Bulgarian army. We have provided the necessary military expertise to make the right decision. Already at the CSNS on the eve of the war, I presented a comprehensive analysis of the state of equipment, personnel, and capabilities. At the end of my analysis, I called for accelerated work on the modernization of the army and presented the priorities, he said.
Eftimov emphasized that until the middle of last year no measures were taken to modernize the army. “Lately, I am hopeful. I hope that the issues of modernization of the army will be clearly presented in the programs of the parties,” added the chief of defense.
MiG-29s continue to be on combat duty. We are doing our best to provide them with a resource, lately I am hopeful, but the solution will not be so long-lasting, Eftimov said.
A lot of effort has been put into looking for a replacement platform for the MiG-29, and talks continue in that direction. And talks about engines with Poland continue, we are also talking with another country, he explained.
