"In 2024 alone, we have realized sales of 3 billion euros in defense and military equipment", said in the studio of "The Day Begins" Andrey Kovachev, MEP from GERB/EPP.
Andrey Kovachev, MEP from GERB/EPP: "In 2024 alone, we, the private sector, have realized sales of 3 billion euros, which have come to Bulgaria from the sale of defense and military equipment. About 70 thousand Bulgarians are directly and indirectly involved in the defense industry."
About Bulgaria's defense capabilities, Kovachev commented:
"We woke up from a deep sleep that someone else would take care of our defense, that we could use cheap resources from Russia, without diversifying our economy and thus guaranteeing our security. This turned out to be disastrous for us. We really became dependent on the EU. There is something to learn from Ukraine. Ukraine is investing, and during a war, in serious new technologies from which we should learn. Until now, it was the case that we were giving away our old things, and now it turned out the other way around."
Regarding the 21st package of sanctions on Russia, Kovachev said:
"They categorically limited the ability of the Russian Federation to advance. We are seeing a terrible war that has been going on longer than the First World War. There is a parallel - dozens, even hundreds of people killed for two or three kilometers to the east or two or three kilometers to the west."
On the topic of the Republic of North Macedonia, Kovachev said:
"We have very often manipulated our history for political purposes. The situation is extremely sad. In Skopje, fantastic things are being said about our history. This country, which we consider close, finds itself in a situation where, from 2022, there will be a European negotiating framework with a condition for the inclusion of Bulgarians in all parts of the constitution. The Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister (of the Republic of North Macedonia) have fallen into a trap. By winning the elections, they fell into a terrible trap for them, promising that they would find a new creative solution with Bulgaria and that Bulgaria would be pressured by various countries around the world to change its mind. They blocked themselves and imposed a veto on themselves. They try to claim that the protocols are not part of the negotiating framework, but of course they are part of it. The historical commission must be based on authentic documents from the respective negotiating era."