The Bulgarian parliament ratified on Friday the intergovernmental agreement with Poland on the repair of six of the country's MiG-29 fighter jets.

At first reading, the agreement was approved by 133 MPs out of the 177 lawmakers present in the plenary chamber, with 42 being against.

A total of 130 MPs voted in favour of the agreement at second reading, while 41 were against, daily Dnevnik informs.

The agreement was approved at first and second reading by MPs from the main ruling party GERB, its junior coalition partner, the Reformist Bloc (RB), one of the parties supporting the coalition government, the Patriotic Front (PF), and the second largest opposition party – the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS).

Prior to the plenary sitting, Defence Minister Nikolay Nenchev outlined the main details of the agreement.

The agreement on providing logistical support to the fighter jets foresees the repair of six engines for a total cost of slightly more than EUR 6.1 M, with Poland meeting the transport costs.

Following the repair, the flight capacity of the jets will be extended by 350 hours, with warranty provided for two years.

Within twenty days after the agreement enters into force, Poland will loan two engines to Bulgaria for temporary use while the repair takes place.

The first two Bulgarian engines will be repaired within seven months after the agreement enters into force, with the remaining four engines to be repaired within eleven months

The Polish foreign ministry had already informed the Bulgarian side that all internal-legal procedures required for entry into force of the agreement have been completed.

The Polish Defence Ministry will be a guarantee for the quality of the repair, Nenchev assured.

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