Bulgaria and Israel will hold a first joint session of their governments and sign a defence cooperation agreement on July 7 in Sofia, the Bulgarian foreign ministry said Tuesday.
"This is the first joint session that Israel holds with another country in the (Balkan) region," ministry spokeswoman Vesela Cherneva said.
According to Cherneva, Israel has only held similar meetings with Italy and Germany.
The talks in Sofia on July 7 will be attended by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Bulgarian counterpart Boyko Borisov.
Eight Israeli ministers and deputy ministers, including those of finance, industry and citizen protection, will travel to Sofia for the joint session.
Cherneva said the two countries will sign a bilateral agreement for defence cooperation, with Israeli companies encouraged to participate in the modernisation of Bulgaria's defence equipment.
Two other agreements, for research and development cooperation, and for the mutual promotion and protection of investments, will also be inked on the sidelines of the joint session.
Bulgaria’s government has maintained close contacts with Israel with a series of bilateral meetings and visits over the past two years.
Bulgaria was the only ally of Germany during World War II that saved its large Jewish population from the Nazi camps, a fact that has always been highlighted during bilateral visits here and in Israel.