SOFIA, June 10 (Xinhua) -- The Bulgarian Council of Ministers on Wednesday approved a national plan to increase defense spending to 5 percent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP) by 2035.

The decision was made in accordance with the commitment made at the 2025 North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in The Hague to gradually increase defense spending to 5 percent of GDP by 2035, the government's press office said.

Of the amount, no less than 3.5 percent of GDP was to be allocated to core defense expenditure, and up to 1.5 percent of GDP will be allocated to defense and security-related investment.