EC President Ursula von der Leyen arrived at the airport in Plovdiv. From there, she headed to Sopot, where she will visit the largest state-owned military enterprise in the country - Vazovski Masinostroitelni Zavodi EAD.

"Bulgaria has a very strong tradition in the EU. The largest private employer in the country is in the defense industry. 1/3 of the weapons for Ukraine came from Bulgaria. Thank you for your support for the warring country. The brutal war has been going on for four years and Putin will not stop," said Von der Leyen.

"New jobs will be created in Sopot. With the new funding, we need to be well coordinated. We will have a joint roadmap. In October, we will discuss the gaps in our defense capabilities," she explained.

Earlier, Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov personally welcomed the President of the European Commission with a bouquet of roses. Her visit is part of her tour of the seven countries in close proximity to the ongoing war in Ukraine.

During her visit to the country, Von der Leyen met with Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov. The two discussed issues related to European security and defense. They then toured the plant and learned about its capabilities, along with GERB leader Boyko Borisov and Defense Minister Atanas Zapryanov.

Prime Minister Zhelyazkov briefed the President of the European Commission on our country's defense capacity and the actions taken for its development and technological renewal. The two also discussed the opportunities for Bulgaria under the European Security Mechanism"SAFE", including the preparation of the construction of the two new production facilities, for which the government is partnering with the largest defense concern"Rheinmetall".