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US Secretary of Defense is now in Bulgaria

| updated on 3/18/22 7:46 PM
Photo: BGNES

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has landed at the Bezmer Air Force Base. At the invitation of Bulgarian Minister of Defense Dragomir Zakov, Austin is on a two-day working visit to Bulgaria to discuss the prospects for the further development of bilateral cooperation with the Ministry of Defense.

During the visit Zakov and Austin will hold a meeting with servicemen from both countries, who are participating in the joint Bulgarian-U.S. training at the Novo Selo military According to Minister Zakov, with the invitation of the US Secretary of Defense, Bulgaria is giving a clear signal that it is a reliable ally of NATO. Zakov pointed out that for the first time a Bulgarian battalion is being trained at the Novo Selo training ground, which is under the operational command of the Commander-in-Chief of NATO Armed Forces in Europe.  In Zakov's opinion, the Bulgarian-American joint preparation in Bulgaria is important for the Bulgarian armed forces to acquire preparedness and to react, if necessary, to joint action with our allies in a more serious situation. 

For his part, Lloyd Austin thanked the servicemen involved in the bilateral preparations for the day-to-day efforts to increase interoperability.

According to the announced NATO plans, 900 troops are expected to be in Bulgaria, but it is not clear whether this is exactly this battle group. Other NATO countries are expected to complement the capabilities Bulgaria does not possess.
Lloyd Austin's visit to Bulgaria comes after his visit to Slovakia, which promised to provide MiG-29 and S-300 air defense systems to Ukraine, but only if NATO secures its airspace. The issue is expected to be raised during official talks with Bulgaria's prime minister and defence minister on Saturday (March 19).




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