15 June 2026 | 18:06
Statement by Head of State Iliana Iotova
NEWS
President: Bulgaria Expects the Partnership with Rheinmetall to Lead to the Creation of New Jobs, the Modernisation of the Bulgarian Defence Industry and the Expansion of its Markets
2025-08-27 19:42:00Rumen Radev is on a visit to Germany at the invitation of Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger to attend the opening of a new plant of the German defence concern
Bulgaria has the ambition not only for joint production with the German concern Rheinmetall, but also for further development of the long-term strategic partnership with Germany, which will lead to the creation of new jobs, the introduction of new technologies, support for the modernisation of the Bulgarian Armed Forces and the expansion of the markets of the Bulgarian industry. This was stated by President Rumen Radev in Germany after the official opening ceremony of a high-tech plant for the production of artillery ammunition of the German defence concern Rheinmetall in Unterluss, Lower Saxony. The Bulgarian head of state is on a working visit to the Federal Republic of Germany, where, at the invitation of the CEO of Rheinmetall, Armin Papperger, he participated in the opening ceremony of a new plant of Europe's largest defence concern.
Among the guests at the event were NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Romanian Prime Minister Ilie-Gavril Bolojan, the Vice Chancellor and Federal Minister of Finance of Germany, Lars Klingbeil and the Federal Minister of Defence, Boris Pistorius.
Armin Papperger presented the capabilities of the new plant, and after the opening ceremony, the two held a meeting, after which the head of state congratulated the CEO of Rheinmetall in front of Bulgarian media for the company's new plant, which is a model for leading technologies and standards in the defence industry.
The President highlighted the shared ambitions discussed with Armin Papperger at their meeting in Munich in February, during the subsequent visit to Bulgaria at the invitation of the head of state, as well as today in Unterluss. These ambitions are for new production, for even higher technologies with added value, for autonomous systems and for the creation of a joint venture in Bulgaria for the production of motor transport equipment, Rumen Radev pointed out, adding that the Bulgarian Army's fleet needs a complete renovation. According to the head of state, with the planned investments of Rheinmetall in Bulgaria, our country becomes part of the European defence ecosystem.
The CEO of Rheinmetall pointed out that during his meeting with President Rumen Radev at the Munich Conference, they discussed the possibilities of jointly building two factories in Bulgaria for ammunition and gunpowder. I would like to thank the President most sincerely for his support, Papperger pointed out. He also expressed Rheinmetall's ambition to jointly build two factories in our country, and discussed with the Bulgarian head of state the possibilities for this to happen as soon as possible.
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