Rumen Radev meets with representatives of US companies in the field of high technology, cybersecurity, digital and communications infrastructure
Bulgaria is ready to support investment in the development of digital infrastructure and connectivity. This is what Head of State Rumen Radev said at a meeting with representatives of leading companies from the state of Virginia, USA, in the field of high technologies, defence, security systems in cyberspace, digital and communication infrastructure. The Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of the United States in Bulgaria, Martin McDowell, also took part in the talks. Within the framework of their visit to Bulgaria, the managers of the US companies will hold meetings with representatives of the Bulgarian business, scientific organisations and state institutions to look into opportunities for future partnership and development of economic cooperation between Bulgaria and the US.
Improving transport, energy and digital connectivity is key to the modernisation of the Bulgarian economy, was the common position during the meeting. The President highlighted digital connectivity as the most important for the future of our country and stressed the significance of investing in the improvement of digital infrastructure and the construction of large data centres in the country.
Rumen Radev also highlighted the potential of the project submitted by the presidential institution in the Bulgarian Recovery and Resilience Plan for the construction of a National Centre for Aerospace Surveillance, Control and Management, as well as the project for the establishment of a cybersecurity centre for the development of the partnership with the United States in the field of high technologies.
The prospects for the modernisation of the Bulgarian Armed Forces were also among the topics discussed during the meeting. The President stressed the importance of the increasing use of low-cost systems in defence, leading to an asymmetric advantage in modern military conflicts and gave the example of unmanned aerial vehicles for surveillance, reconnaissance, targeting and strike. The Head of State noted the projects that our country is implementing in cooperation with the United States for the modernisation of the Air Force and the Ground Forces, stressing the Bulgarian state's ambition that the partnership between the two countries in this field will lead to technology transfer and industrial cooperation.
The Head of State also mentioned Bulgaria's potential for foreign investments in the sphere of high technologies and high added value industries. The qualified human potential in the IT sector, the experience of Bulgarian specialists in high technologies, as well as the favourable tax conditions in Bulgaria were among the advantages highlighted by the President, which create preconditions for the implementation of mutually beneficial partnerships. Bulgaria's geostrategic location was also highlighted as a significant factor for the investment interest in the development of digital infrastructure and cybersecurity systems in Bulgaria, as well as for the country's potential to play a leading role in this sector in the Southeast European region.