KAZANLAK, Bulgaria — For 34 years, the Soviet-designed AK-47 Kalashnikov rifle was the basis of the fortune of the state-owned Arsenal arms and machinery works sprawled around this dreary city in Bulgaria's Valley of the Roses. The Kalashnikov is easy to use, easy to clean and highly reliable. It is also cheap to produce. Arsenal's Kalashnikov was regarded as one of the East bloc's finest, and over 1 million of the submachine guns found their way from here to the... (GunPolicy.org)

SOFIA — Bulgaria's vast and secretive arms industry is up for sale. Pressed by the cost of reform and billion-dollar foreign debt payments due each year, the government last year lifted restrictions on selling off 22 military plants. It decided to retain a 34 percent share in each of five plants which form the core of the weapons industry. "This is a gradual process which cannot be completed soon. First we need to find people who would be interested in buying... (GunPolicy.org)

SOFIA, Bulgaria — Bulgaria, struggling to revamp its out-sized and once flourishing defense industry, has embarked on a thorny path of selling it off, a senior government official said Wednesday. According to a restructuring plan, the government plans to reduce state participation, demilitarize production and privatize 22 major arms plants. "We expect Western firms which have shown interest earlier to restate their intentions officially and to take part in the... (GunPolicy.org)