Ukraine, Bulgaria Start Negotiations on Bilateral Security Agreement

Ukraine and Bulgaria have started negotiations on formulating a bilateral security agreement between the two nations and have already agreed on the key provisions, Ukraine’s Presidential Office reported on Friday. 

“On the instructions of the President of Ukraine and the Head of the Presidential Office, and in pursuance of the G7 Joint Declaration, Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Ihor Zhovkva held the first round of negotiations with the Bulgarian side on the conclusion of a bilateral security agreement,” read the office’s press release. 

The office did not disclose the details of the agreement. It added that Kyiv and Sofia have agreed to finalize the agreement “as soon as possible.”

“Ukraine has already signed 27 agreements in pursuance of the G7 Joint Declaration. It is very important to have such a document with Bulgaria as our strategic partner in the Black Sea region,” Zhovkva said, as per the press release. 

Bulgaria is set to hold its parliamentary elections on Oct. 27 – the seventh election in four years after another attempt to form a government failed, with the elections demonstrating voter fatigue. 

Bulgaria, as a NATO member, has been mostly supportive of Ukraine and supplied weapons to Kyiv against Russia’s invasion. It also has a unique position as one of the few remaining NATO members to produce Soviet-standard munitions used in Ukraine.

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However, the efforts have been marred by alleged Russian interference – including acts of sabotage on Emco, a Bulgarian manufacturer that produces Soviet munitions, presumably by Russian intelligence.