Bulgaria and Israel signed two military accords for joint army trainings and defence industry cooperation on Sunday, Bulgaria’s defence ministry announced.
The deals were signed during a two-day visit by Bulgarian Defence Minister Anyu Angelov, who arrived in Tel Aviv Sunday for talks with his Israeli counterpart Ehud Barak.
The training accord “aimed to broaden defence cooperation between the two countries through conducting joined training exercises,” his ministry said in a statement.
Angelov and Barak also oversaw the signing of a memorandum of understanding for cooperation in the defence industry, including the production and trade of defence produce and joint research and development work.
The defence industry is an important employer in Bulgaria.
According to one recent media report, in 2011 it exported $380 million (300 million euros) worth of arms, although the sector has shrunk to a 10th of its Soviet-era size.
Angelov will visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial on his trip Sunday.
