Greek Minister of National Defense Nikos Dendias referred to the strengthening of Bulgaria’s air defense with Greek assets following his meeting in Sofia with his Bulgarian counterpart Atanas Zapryanov.

Mr. Dendias thanked the Bulgarian minister for the invitation to visit Sofia, as well as for the honor of being received by Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov. As he noted, he had visited the Bulgarian capital twice as Minister of Foreign Affairs and expressed his pleasure at being there for the third time as Minister of National Defense.

Referring to relations between the two countries, he emphasized that Greece believes in the European dimension of cooperation with Bulgaria and noted that through the “Thessaloniki Agenda of 2003” Greece had played a leading role in helping Bulgaria become a member of the European Union.

Within the framework of defense cooperation, he said that Greece responded to Bulgaria’s request for assistance in addressing the threats it faces due to the war in Iran. According to him, a Patriot battery covers a significant part of Bulgarian airspace from missile threats, while a pair of Greek F-16 fighter jets covers the entire Bulgarian airspace from other threats, including drones. At the same time, he noted that two senior officers have been sent to coordinate with the Operations Center of the Bulgarian Armed Forces.

The two ministers also discussed mobility issues. As Mr. Dendias said, two letters signed by him have been sent regarding the expansion of the pipeline network and the creation of a recognized military corridor, with the second letter also bearing the signature of Mr. Zapryanov. They also agreed to coordinate their efforts with their Romanian counterparts so that the relevant projects can be completed as soon as possible.

The meeting also addressed the issue of defense innovation and the SAFE regulation, which Mr. Dendias said requires reform in view of SAFE II, expressing satisfaction with the common views identified regarding the need to strengthen the European defense ecosystem and innovation.

Finally, he referred to the Greek “Agenda 2030” for the reform of the Armed Forces, which is part of the holistic “Achilles Shield” approach. He pointed out that part of this initiative is the “Centaur” anti-drone system, which is already in use and is currently deployed in the Red Sea and off the coast of Cyprus. As he stated, Greece is interested in cooperation with Bulgaria’s innovation ecosystem, emphasizing that collaboration between the two countries could benefit not only Greece and Bulgaria but also Europe as a whole.