The Head of State voiced our country’s position to preserve the NATO “open door policy” for the Western Balkan countries
Bulgaria supports NATO’s efforts to build modern defense capabilities, and the modernization of the Bulgarian Army is part of this process. This is what President Rumen Radev said today in Warsaw at a Format B9 Summit. Within the framework of the international forum, the leaders of Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia , Hungary, the Czech Republic and Poland are exchanging views and are coordinating their positions on issues on the NATO agenda, ahead of the Alliance’s Summit due in Brussels in July.
A joint EU-NATO declaration is also expected to be adopted at the Brussels Summit, outlining the framework of future partnership between the two organizations.
“Meeting the security challenges that we face is beyond the limited capacities of the separate countries to overcome them and requires a joint response,” the President emphasized in the statement he made at the forum. The state and government leaders confirmed their common commitment from Wales to gradually increase the defense budget resources to 2 per cent of the GDP for the development of national and joint defense capabilities.
In the President’e words, NATO should preserve its “open door policy”, and Bulgaria will continue to support the countries with the ambition to become full-fledged members in fulfilling the eligibility requirements. Rumen Radev identified strengthening stability, continued reforms, building good-neighbourly relations and promoting the Western Balkans’ Euro-Atlantic prospects as key priorities for Bulgaria. “Without guaranteed security, we cannot possibly achieve sustainable stability in the Balkans,” the President emphasized.
The Head of State confirmed Bulgaria’s support, within the framework of NATO’s policy, to assist the countries engaged in the fight against international terrorism and countering the Islamic State in the Middle East in building their defense capacity.
In its relations with Russia, the Alliance must be guided by realism and pragmatism, in line with NATO’s approach to simultaneously strengthen defense capabilities and remain open to dialogue, the Head of State further said. At the discussion, the President emphasized the need to assess the changed conditions, to seek opportunities for easing tensions and normalizing relations and avoiding an aggressive tone at the same time. In his words, this will help keep communication channels open and promote important national economic interests, the way this is done by the leading NATO and EU member states.
Later in the day, President Radev will attend the celebration in Warsaw of the 100th anniversary of the restoration of the Republic of Poland’s regained independence.