Government to continue talks with arms manufacturer Rheinmetall

The government will continue talks with German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall in an effort to secure the future of a planned joint ammunition project, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Pulev said. Sofia will seek to find the right framework for modernising Bulgaria's armed forces and transferring technology for the production of gunpowder and NATO-standard artillery shells, he announced after a meeting between Prime Minister Rumen Radev and members of the company's management.

Pulev explained the project still faced numerous challenges that would need to be resolved before gunpowder and artillery shell plants could be built in Bulgaria. He added that Rheinmetall had reaffirmed the commitment it first made last year to take part in the project.

Pulev said Rheinmetall had been brought to Bulgaria as an investor by Rumen Radev while he was president. He argued that the government of Rosen Zhelyazkov had moved the project forward on the basis of a framework agreement alone, without securing funding or signing an incorporation agreement.

• Rheinmetall has signed a deal to build a munitions plant in Sopot, Bulgaria
• Bulgaria faces funding challenges for joint plant with Rheinmetall

GERB rejected Pulev's claims, saying they did not reflect the facts. Former finance minister Temenuzhka Petkova called on him to familiarise himself with the project's actual status before commenting.

Editor: Miglena Ivanova