The government will approve a draft investment spending plan today to buy five more air defence missile systems, and a contract is expected within weeks, prime minister Rumen Radev said at the start of the cabinet meeting.
He also said the government has started the process of buying high-end drones. They are meant to monitor all of Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea. The state has drawn up a request for information and sent it to leading global companies.
Radev noted that the drones were part of the army modernisation programme in 2023. Caretaker defence minister Dimitar Stoyanov added them to the plan of the caretaker government Radev had appointed. He described them as systems for automated reconnaissance and surveillance of the whole zone. According to the prime minister, none of the governments that followed has completed the purchase. "Many governments came and went after that. Absolutely nothing - zero," Radev said.
In 2022 Bulgaria was among the first countries to join the European Sky Shield Initiative, again on Stoyanov's initiative. "Since then, one contract for one air defence missile system. How are we to cover the country's territory?" the prime minister asked.
Radev said Bulgaria must guarantee the defence of its territory and add to the defence capabilities of the alliance. He said protecting against drones in the air and at sea is a hard task that cannot be solved overnight. It takes time, consistency, a systematic approach and a lot of money, and it depends on reliable, credible and timely information.
The prime minister thanked everyone who helped sailors in distress in the Black Sea, in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone. They include the crew of the Bulgarian ship Dioskuria, the rescue teams of the Navy and the Air Force, the Border Police, the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Varna and the medical teams. He said the operation shows that human life is the highest value for Bulgaria and that the country can search for and rescue people in distress in its zone under international conventions.
Radev also spoke about the Consultative Council for National Security, which the president has called. He said the council should not become a stage for pre-election demagoguery. The prime minister said there is no place for hysteria and that what is needed is a cool head and sober judgment.
He added that, besides defence, Bulgaria must look for a lasting solution for peace. He said pouring money into the war and endless rearmament, in which systems must be constantly renewed, costs far more than diplomacy, and the government will continue in this direction.