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Rosen Plevneliev: Bulgarian aviation needs new equipment and better training facilities for pilots

Bulgarian Aviation needs new equipment, better training facilities for pilots and more fuel for aircraft, President Rosen Plevneliev said today in Krumovo, where he opened a new exhibition of the Museum of Aviation. “I applaud the efforts of the Minister Angelov and the leadership of the Air Force in this regard and as Commander-in-Chief I stand behind them,” the President said, adding that better conditions would motivate more young people to dedicate themselves to an honorable profession.

President Plevneliev said that Bulgaria was a pioneer in global aviation history and is one of the first space faring nations. “We need to continue to develop what we have achieved after decades of pogroms and ‘starting from scratch,” the President said in his speech. He thanked the volunteers and donors who helped restore the unique Arad-193a-3 Shark shipboard reconnaissance aircraft and nine exhibits as part of a donation campaign initiated by the Head of State a few months ago on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the first combat flight of Bulgarian aviation. “These people prove that our aviation is a cause not only for those who are directly involved and for the ministry responsible for it, but also for all Bulgarians,” President Plevneliev said. The opening ceremony of the exhibition was attended by Defence Minister Anyu Angelov, Defence chief General Simeon Simeonov, Air Force Commander Maj. Gen. Konstantin Popov, Mayor of Plovdiv Ivan Totev, Regional Governor Zdravko Dimitrov, museum specialists and many citizens.

"Rearmament of the Bulgarian army, and in particular the project to acquire a new multirole fighter for the Air Force, is a national priority, and I support it," the President said in response to a journalist's question. He said that in the past three years the Department of Defence had succeeded in settling the liabilities accrued in prior years from several modernization projects. The President said that this meant that from next year the ministry would have new financial prospects and would have more funds for modernization of equipment and weapons, in accordance with policies set out in the White Paper on Defence.

Regarding the protests held in Sofia by the Rakovski Officer Legion, the President said that an age limit for retirement from the military was normal practice in Europe and in the armies of NATO such reforms should be introduced in Bulgaria. The army has a clear strategy for long-term operation and the leadership of the armed forces were keeping to it, President Plevneliev said.