Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2024 All Rights Reserved

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).




Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Sunny spells, stop of rain and snowfall on Sunday

Sunny weather will prevail on Sunday. There will be more significant cloudiness before noon over the northeastern regions, and after noon in places in southeastern Bulgaria. There will be a moderate westerly-northwesterly wind. Minimum temperatures..

published on 12/21/24 6:15 PM

Industry workers in demand, no applicants for jobs in hospitals and social services

There are nearly 17,600 job vacancies in the country by the end of the third quarter of 2024, according to the National Statistical Institute. This is almost 1,000 fewer than at the end of the second quarter.  The Employment Agency reported that..

published on 12/21/24 5:04 PM
Parliamentary Speaker Natalia Kiselova

The Speaker of Parliament expects the President will not appoint a Prosecutor General

The most important thing is to form a government, the Speaker of Parliament Assoc. Prof. Natalia Kiselova told the Bulgarian National Radio. If there are talks about a government, there will also be talks about other bodies, with the exception of the..

published on 12/21/24 4:26 PM