Bulgaria to service fighter jets in Poland

Bulgaria seeks to cut dependence on Russia and will sign a deal with Poland to service MiG 29 fighter jets, maintained until now in Russia, Bulgaria's Defense Minister Nikolay Nenchev was quoted as saying by Reuters. "We will do everything possible to reduce our dependence on Russia," Nenchev told Reuters. "Bulgaria is the only NATO member that is almost 90 percent dependent on Russia. It worries me very much and I would not like to continue in this way." Bulgaria's contract with Russia expires at the end of September. "We need to repair six of our engines and we have made serious efforts to find an alternative," Nenchev said. "We held very dynamic talks with the Polish side for several months and I think we could sign a contract this month."  He also added that the price offered by Poland was cheaper than Russia's. The Ukrainian conflict has forced Bulgaria to forge ties with its NATO partners. "I do not hesitate to say it. After seeing that the Putin regime had a particularly aggressive behavior to a sovereign state, we cannot feel secure," Nenchev said. "We are negotiating with the Polish side, who are our partners in NATO and managed to break away from their dependence on Russia."