NEWS

 

President Rumen Radev held a telephone conversation with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who is visiting the Novo Selo training ground today to get acquainted with the activities of the Multinational Battle Group with Italy as the host country. 

 

During the talks, the two discussed the challenges related to the complicated security environment in Eastern Europe and the need to strengthen the defence capabilities of the Alliance member states in the region. The Head of State underlined the actions Bulgaria has undertaken to modernise the Armed Forces and said that he expects the Bulgarian National Assembly and the government to continue supporting this process. The President also called for the expedient construction of the NATO oil pipeline in Eastern Europe, which will increase the security of energy supplies in the region. 

 

For his part, Rutte underlined Bulgaria's contribution to the collective security system and the importance of the modernisation process of the Bulgarian Armed Forces and highlighted the high professionalism of the Bulgarian service people. In view of the serious geopolitical challenges the Alliance is facing, Rutte called on the member states to accept a higher percentage of the agreed minimum expenditure in the national budgets for the modernisation of the armed forces and the enhancement of their defence capabilities.

 

Ignazden's first guest at the presidential institution is Viktor Orban, and I believe that a much better year awaits us both for relations between Bulgaria and Hungary, as well as for our peoples and Europe, the President said after his meeting with the Prime Minister of Hungary

During the talks, the Head of State stressed the key importance of ensuring the safe operation of the nuclear power plant, as well as providing Bulgarian companies, engineers and technical workers with the opportunity to participate in the activities related to the construction and operation of the new units

During the talks, Radev expressed hope that the state leadership of North Macedonia would proceed as soon as possible to include the Bulgarians in its constitution, which would also open the door for negotiations for the country's full membership in the European Union

The meeting took place at the invitation of the Ambassador of the Republic of Poland to Bulgaria, H.E. Maciej Szymanski