12.12.2019
"Diplomacy and peace must be our goal, even if we are currently in the strongest defense center in the world - NATO." This is what Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said during a joint statement with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels. Prime Minister Borisov put an emphasis on the importance of the deterrent force of the Alliance. "Bulgaria is in a very vulnerable place, which is why we put diplomacy on the first place. The only reliable partner that protects us is NATO," said the Bulgarian Prime Minister. Borissov added that the principle he defends and upholds is defense and restraint. According to him, this is also the reason for our country to invest considerable resources in the sector.
Prime Minister Boyko Borissov focused on the industrial cooperation, pointing out the huge opportunities of our country in industrial production under licenses and in joint production. "If the economy goes that way, except for education, healthcare, and infrastructure, we will allocate additional funds to this direction as well," Borissov said. The Bulgarian Prime Minister noted that due to the increase in GDP of our country and the growing economy, Bulgaria has allocated more money towards the armed forces - not only for salaries and repairs, but also for the purchase of new fighter jets, and the Air-force Academy has been restored in Dolna Mitropolia. Recently, the Bulgarian Parliament also ratified the purchase of two minesweepers from the Netherlands. "If the economy goes that way and the budget is in surplus, we will continue to modernize the Bulgarian army, not just the Air Forces. We must also focus on the navy and the land forces," Borissov said. The Prime Minister expressed his gratitude for the exceptional professionalism of the Bulgarian soldiers, currently part of different missions.
Prime Minister Borissov noted that the establishment of a coordination center in Varna is also supported by NATO. Prime Minister Borissov put an emphasis on the importance of the dialogue with Russia. "That is why I am working this actively for the joint Belene NPP project and for the Balkan Stream project. They know it in the White House, in NATO, in the EU, we are not doing it in secret. That is why I hope that the agreement signed with President Trump on the Coordination Center in Varna is also greatly supported by NATO, "the Prime Minister added.
During the statements, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg highlighted Bulgaria's contribution as a member of the Alliance. For our peoples to be secure, we must invest in defense, pointed out Stoltenberg, and added that through investments in modern equipment and capabilities, NATO becomes stronger and Bulgaria more secure. The NATO Secretary General noted that our country is among the 9 Alliance members that have met the commitment of 2% of GDP to be spend on this sector. "More trainings, more investments in our shared security - that's what we are working for," Stoltenberg added. The NATO Secretary General gave special thanks to Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and Bulgaria for their support for the Republic of North Macedonia, which will soon become the 30th NATO member. Stoltenberg also noted that the world is changing and the Alliance's ability to change is also the reason why NATO is such a successful organization. "NATO's strength is that despite our differences, we are able to unite around our defense," also said Jens Stoltenberg.
