On 9–10 October 2014, the NCI Agency General Manager, Mr Koen Gijsbers attended the Industrial Forum in Sofia (Bulgaria), held under the auspices of the President of the Republic of Bulgaria, Mr Rosen Plevneliev. Mr Gijsbers had the opportunity to meet with the Bulgarian Minister of Defence, Dr Velizar Shalamanov, and the Bulgarian Deputy Chief of Defence, Major General Neyko Nenov.
During the event, the Bulgarian Minister of Defence, Dr Velizar Shalamanov emphasized the key role of NATO and the EU in achieving the Bulgarian Vision for 2020 through the modernization of the Bulgarian Armed Forces. He underlined the fact that NATO and EU First Policies are essential for Bulgaria to overcome financial and organizational challenges triggered by the modernization effort, to allow defence capacity-building and to galvanize the Bulgarian National Industry.
The General Manager briefed the audience on the NCI Agency's areas of expertise that are in close relationship with the expectations of Bulgaria in terms of C2 systems, CIS services and Cyber defence. Mr Gijsbers then had the opportunity to meet with Major General Nenov, discussing practical aspects of the partnership between Bulgaria and the NCI Agency.