Bulgaria's Defense Minister Highlights Potential in Drone Production

Bulgaria's Defense Minister, Todor Tagarev, has highlighted the country's significant prospects in drone manufacturing during an interview with Nova TV. Tagarev emphasized that although Bulgaria currently produces limited quantities of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) specifically for military operations, there exists substantial potential in this sector.

His comments follow recent accusations by Bulgarian Socialist Party deputy Rumen Gechev regarding Tagarev's alleged conflict of interest in a framework agreement between the Ministry of Defense and the association "Bulgarian Unmanned Aerial Systems". Tagarev refuted the allegations, clarifying that his wife's minor involvement in a company linked to the consortium did not equate to active management participation in the last two decades.

Tagarev underscored the existence of multiple groups in Bulgaria engaged in the development of UAVs, noting that the Ministry of Defense's demand for such technology only began to rise significantly in the past year.

Additionally, the minister addressed the recent incident involving the Russian Foreign Ministry's spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, who was denied passage through Bulgarian airspace during Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's flight to North Macedonia. Zakharova criticized the Bulgarian authorities' actions, prompting Tagarev to clarify that while permission was granted for Lavrov's passage, certain individuals subject to sanctions were not permitted entry. He highlighted that decisions regarding airspace access are national matters.

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