NEWS

Bulgaria, Israel to enhance co-operation in defence and security

Bulgaria and Israel have excellent traditions of co-operation in the fields of defence and security, and this potential should be fully exploited in the future, President Rosen Plevneliev and the Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu agreed after meeting today in Jerusalem.

Prime Minister Netanyahu thanked President Plevneliev for the quick response and professionalism of the Bulgarian security services in the investigation into the terrorist attack in Bourgas. President Plevneliev emphasised that Bulgaria would continue to work until the case is clarified and the offenders detected.

President Plevneliev and Prime Minister Netanyahu share the view that Iran should provide more clarity about its nuclear programme and that Iran should not be allowed to acquire nuclear weapons. “Such weapons will become a global threat, and if this threshold is passed, the world will be different, and this process will be irreversible,” Prime Minister Netanyahu said. The two leaders were adamant that economic sanctions should be combined with diplomatic efforts to find a solution to this issue.

President Plevneliev said during the meeting that Bulgaria had a lot to offer Israeli companies who are interested in setting up in the country. “Bulgaria is able to be attractive to foreign investors because of its financial and economic stability, easy access to the single European market, low taxes and skilled workers,” President Plevneliev said. He called for the establishment of direct links between clusters of Bulgarian and Israeli companies. He said that there were good opportunities in Bulgaria for Israeli companies to build centres for data processing and storage.

The upcoming joint commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the rescue of Bulgarian Jews during World War 2 was discussed at the meeting. “The saving of the Jews in Bulgaria is an untold story, and we must make every effort to inform the world about what happened," Prime Minister Netanyahu said. He promised to personally help promote this honorable act by the Bulgarian people.

On the second day of his state visit to Israel, President Rosen Plevneliev will be visiting Jerusalem Technology Park and the Weizmann Research Centre in Tel Aviv. The President will meet with representatives of the Bulgarian community in Israel.