Greece will train Bulgarian pilots

July 13, 2012 | Filed under: Air Force,Featured News

Bulgarian Air Force pilots will receive part of their flight training in the F-16 or in any other western type of fighter that Bulgaria will soon acquire in Greece by Greek trainers of the Hellenic Air Force.

The HAF will also provide training in the organization of the logistics and in support issues in generally.

The Greek Deputy Defense Minister Dimitris Elefsiniotis discussed this issue with the political leadership of the Bulgarian Ministry of Defense during his visit in Sofia where he took part in the NATO conference on “smart defense”.

Mr. Elefsiniotis agreed with his counterpart and the Chief of the Bulgarian Air Force, that by September all proposals should be completed (requirements, costs, schedules, commitments, etc.) based on preliminary work that has already been concluded by the Hellenic Air Force.

A part of the factory maintenance of the new Bulgarian fighter is also been discussed to be conducted by the Hellenic Aerospace Industry (HAI).

In addition, the technical agreement for the assumption by the Hellenic Air Force of the air policing of the airspace of Bulgaria – in the context of NATO – in emergency situations, such as in cases of hijackings etc is at the final stage. This issue was also part of the collaboration between Mr. Elefsiniotis and the Bulgarian Ministry of Defense during the visit.

Source: tanea.gr

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  • Makos

    This is what someone would clearly characterize as a true win-win situation.

    Bulgaria benefits from the high, world class level, expertise of the HAF and the savings related to the vicinity of Greece.

    Greece is benefited by further securing and stabilizing this northern border to Euroatlantic structures and gaining some potential economic benefit from it, much needed for its defense industry at these difficult times.

    At the same time both countries confirm and greatly enhance their strategic relationship on a billateral level having to deal with the well known common revisionist and aggressive neigbor (not Skopja of course).

    This agreement is a clear sign of an ongoing process of an important cooperation between the two countries that could result in a non explicit, rather ‘shadow’ alliance. This alliance can also serve the plans of another new Greek partner, Israel.

    After the collapse of the Israel-Turkish relations and the resulting tension in the East Med, Israel apparently tries to form a bounding chain of allied countries on the vicinity of Turkey in order to exert some pressure, and multiply the consequenses of a hostile and aggresive policy by capitalizing on Turkey’s major weakness, the bad relations it continues on sustaining with all of its neigbhors.

    • kasomoulis

      Ditto Makos.

      • Makos

        Thanks Kaso for your comment.

        However, the resulting question is why Greece did not tried to do what Israel now?

        Why Greece after the collapse of the USSR did not tried to form a strategic relationship with Bulgaria, Romania, Georgia, Armenia, even Ajerbaidjan as Israel does now?

        Maybe Ajerbaidjan would not be an option for Greece, but Syria (before the current events) would certainly be!

        As I said on another comment, my opinion is that the main reason is that Greece lacks of true thinkers. People who know history perfectly, people who understand modern diplomacy equally perfectly. In addition institutions that promote original and critical thinking in geopolitics are non present in Greece.

        Greece needs someone like Kissinger, an emblematic figure in US external policy, institutions like Stratfor, that will propose feasible, original ideas, and a political leadership that will utilize these resources, examine these ideas, adapt and implement them.

        How can a equally small state like Israel achieve that and Greece cannot?

        Let’s hope that the current economic crisis coupled with the Turkish boom in its economy, demographics and military procurements will stress the need for a contructive rethinking of what we do wrong.

        • kasomoulis

          Makos, one must not forget Bulgaria sided with the 3d Reich! It had not showed any interest other than passage to the Aegean untill recently!
          Also Greece did not have the foreign policy continuity required to solidify anything, thus it would be difficult to set something up with Karamanlis/Ppapandreou when they knew the next guy would change it!
          Currently things do not show to be a lot better.
          I hope the more parties are involved in the government the better continuity they may preserve when the government changes.
          My daughter, a political sciense professor says so! What do I know?