I consider our proposal to allocate 3% of the gross domestic product (GDP) for defense to be reasonable, realistic and possible to achieve. This was stated in a statement to the media by the President of Poland Andrzej Duda, who is on an official visit to Bulgaria, after a meeting with the head of state Rumen Radev.
Duda indicated that he had discussed the topic with his Bulgarian counterpart.
The Polish president said that he had submitted a letter to the NATO Secretary General for an increase of at least 3% in the defense spending of member states, BTA indicated.
Andrzej Duda indicated that his country this year allocated 4.7% of GDP - about 45 billion dollars - for defense and is in first place according to this criterion among NATO countries. "We do indeed buy a lot of equipment, but it is important to modernize and relaunch our own production of armored vehicles and new infantry fighting vehicles, which we are introducing into production this year in Poland," Duda added.
He also indicated that an exchange of experience is possible in relation to F-16 aircraft, since the Polish army has been using them for years.
We in Poland want the war in Ukraine to end and for it to retain its sovereignty, we want the war to end with a lasting peace that will lead to Russia never attacking anyone again, the Polish president said.
According to him, the United States is able, through economic competition and various influences on the entire world market, to force Putin to stop the aggression in Ukraine. Duda expressed hope that this will happen.
Andrzej Duda noted the infrastructure projects built within the framework of the “Three Seas“ initiative, created in 2015 by Croatia and Poland, pointing out that they are of great strategic importance in connection with the war in Ukraine. The Polish president added that almost 50% of the “Via Carpathia“ is ready in Bulgaria.
Duda also commented on the development of relations in the economy, tourism and the increase in trade turnover between the two countries. He also invited Bulgarian business to come to his country and Poles to visit Bulgaria.
The President of Poland thanked his Bulgarian counterpart Rumen Radev for the joint work over the years and noted that this was his farewell visit to Sofia, as the end of his presidential term was coming.
Regarding the presidential elections in Poland, Duda said that it was very likely that there would be no winner and that there would be another round, expressing hope that after June 1 it would be known who the new president would be.
Andrzej Duda emphasized the role of President Radev as an element of political stability in Bulgaria and pointed out that when governments change, the president remains, and thanks to him, these initiatives and infrastructure projects are constantly in the spotlight.