SOFIA, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Bulgaria's armed forces need modernizing and bringing in line with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the country's Defense Minister Atanas Zapryanov said here on Tuesday.
Zapryanov was speaking to reporters after attending the presentation of the annual analysis of the state and preparedness of the country's armed forces for 2025.
Although the report concluded that the armed forces have been fulfilling their constitutional obligations under the national Law on Defense and Armed Forces, Zapryanov said: "We are far from having modern armed forces that are fully compatible with NATO, and work will have to be done in this regard."
He outlined three main work priorities, starting with intensifying modernization.
According to the minister, the Bulgarian Army still has old Soviet-made equipment that is no longer viable. "We should have gotten rid of this equipment sooner," he said.
Another top priority is continuing to recruit personnel. Last year, the overall shortage in the armed forces was reduced by 2 percent, but this was just the beginning, the minister said, adding that military education and training need to be improved and efforts made to increase young people's interest in defense.
Military infrastructure is another priority, he said. "The armed forces need new infrastructure. This is a new area of military capability, which is expensive, and resources are also needed there," he said.
Bulgaria, a former member of the Warsaw Treaty, joined NATO in 2004. ■