Poland’s Defense Minister Tomasz Siemoniak arrives in Bulgaria Friday at the invitation of his Bulgarian counterpart Nikolay Nenchev.

The two defense ministers will sign a letter of intent on military and technical cooperation, according to reports of the Bulgarian National Radio.

Bulgaria’s agreement with Russia on the maintenance of the Bulgarian MiG-29 fighter jets expires in September.

In early July Nikolay Nenchev declared that the contract would not be renewed in order to reduce Bulgaria’s dependence on Russia, with Poland to be tasked with conducting the necessary repairs of the aircraft instead.

The agreement with Poland is expected to be signed by end-August at the latest, according to Bulgaria’s Defense Minister.
Alexander Alexandrov, representative of of RKS-MiG, the aircraft's manufacturer, claimed that Poland was not authorized to repair and extend the life of the engines of MiG-29 fighter jets.