We have the potential to accelerate processes and take our industrial cooperation to the next level. Bulgaria is open to attracting American investments.
This was stated by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy, Investments and Industry Alexander Pulev, who opened a forum on defense and security opportunities in the Black Sea region together with Deputy Assistant Secretary at the US Department of Commerce Bradley McKinney.
The event was organized by the US Department of Commerce and was held within the framework of the annual exhibition of the Association of the United States Army (AUSA).
“Maritime security is among our main priorities. We will seek opportunities for the development of high-tech solutions, combining American capacity with Bulgarian engineering and technical potential in the field of drones, drone countermeasure systems, surveillance and cybersecurity“, the Deputy Prime Minister emphasized. “We have the political will and the capacity to achieve concrete results. Our proposal is to expand production capacity and modernize existing facilities and highly qualified engineering personnel. This means creating direct joint ventures with the Bulgarian state, opportunities for production on site in Bulgaria, and not just contracts for the purchase of finished products“, emphasized Pulev.
Before the opening of the forum, Alexander Pulev and Bradley McKinney held a bilateral meeting, at which they discussed the possibilities for deepening cooperation, technology transfer and expanding partnerships between Bulgarian and American companies in the high-tech and defense sectors.
Within the framework of the exhibition, the Deputy Prime Minister held meetings with representatives of leading American companies, including “Boeing Defense, Space & Security“ and “L3Harris“. He also visited the headquarters of one of the world's leading manufacturers of aircraft, missile systems and space technologies “Lockheed Martin“ in Washington.
During the meetings, the opportunities for expanding partnerships with Bulgarian companies in the field of aviation, defense and space technologies, autonomous drones and the development of industrial cooperation were discussed, as well as the prospects for the inclusion of Bulgarian companies in international production chains. “We welcome American companies that wish to establish production in Bulgaria, to implement a full-fledged technology transfer and to create highly qualified and well-paid jobs“, commented Pulev.
The Deputy Prime Minister is on an official visit to Washington, where he is leading a Bulgarian business delegation of 20 companies, organized by the American Chamber of Commerce in Bulgaria.
AUSA Annual Meeting & Exposition is the annual exhibition and professional forum of the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) with over 40,000 participants, more than 750 exhibitors and representatives from over 100 countries.
The exhibition program combines the presentation of defense technologies and equipment with professional forums, discussions on the modernization of the US Army and meetings between military leaders, representatives of institutions, defense companies and international delegations.