The Head of State visits the Hyakuri Air Base

The Declaration on Strategic Partnership between Bulgaria and Japan opens many opportunities for cooperation in the security sphere. This is what President Rumen Radev said today at a meeting with representatives of the leadership of the Ministry of Defence of Japan and the Japanese Air Force. As part of his official visit to Japan, the Bulgarian Head of State visited the Hyakuri Air Base, where F-2 fighter jets, a modification of the F-16 fighter jets, are based.

Rumen Radev highly appreciated the cooperation between the navies of Bulgaria and Japan in the framework of the 2024 Black Sea exercise "Breeze" and stressed the importance of maintaining freedom and security of navigation and of joint efforts to clear sea mines. The Head of State expressed our country's interest in deepening the partnership in the security and defence sector. During the meeting, the sides also discussed the possibility of cooperation in crisis response preparations and dealing with the consequences of natural disasters.

Later in the day, President Rumen Radev visited the research centre of RIKEN, the largest scientific organisation in Japan, which has been cooperating with the Bulgarian Institute of Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence and Technology INSAIT since 2023. During his visit to the research centre, the Head of State discussed the opportunities for expanding the partnership with Bulgaria and toured the centre's laboratories.