10.03.2025
Strategic partnership between Bulgaria and the United States was the focus of the discussion between Prime Minister Rossen Jeliazkov and Chargé d’Affaires ad interim at the US Embassy Sofia Susan Falatko. In the course of their meeting in the Prime Minister’s office, they discussed the opportunities for the development of bilateral relations with an emphasis on the sectors of energy, defense, high technologies and artificial intelligence.
Cooperation between Bulgaria and the United States in the energy sector for the sake of diversification and energy security in Europe was seen as extremely productive. Over the past year, for the first time in its 50-year life, the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) operated with alternative fuel produced by the American Westinghouse. The construction of new nuclear facilities, viz. Unit 7 and Unit 8 of the Kozloduy NPP, is under way.
US support for the development of the Bulgarian armed forces was likewise prominent on the agenda of the meeting. Prime Minister Rossen Jeliazkov emphasized the dedicated efforts to modernize the Bulgarian Army in line with the high NATO standards. The discussion touched on the progress of the acquisition of a new type of F-16 Block 70 jets and of new Stryker armored fighting vehicles for the Land Forces. Mr. Jeliazkov recalled that Bulgaria is among the EU countries that allocate the highest percentage of the GDP to defense and that the purchase of the fighters brought up the level to 3% of the GDP.
Prime Minister Rossen Jeliazkov and Chargé d’Affaires ad interim at the US Embassy to Bulgaria Susan Falatko discussed, accordingly, the war in Ukraine and the importance of the United States for the security architecture in Europe.
Bulgaria’s inclusion into the US Visa Waiver Program was another issue that Prime Minister Rossen Jeliazkov identified as a priority for the Bulgarian government and expressed his hope that a positive outcome would follow soon. The meeting noted the good cooperation to that effect and the considerable progress made by the Bulgarian institutions to meet the criteria of eligibility for inclusion into the Program.
