BULGARIA’S PRESIDENT: THERE IS AN ONGOING DETERIORATION OF THE SECURITY ENVIRONMENT CLOSE TO BULGARIA’S BORDERS

There is an ongoing deterioration of the security environment in close proximity to the Bulgarian borders, Bulgaria’s President Rosen Plevneliev said after the meeting of the Consultative Council for National Security (CCNS) on 27th of April. CCNS met to discuss the state of the armed forces and the perspectives for their development.

The democratic community faced growing challenges to ensure an international legal order based on the rule of law, democratic values, human rights and freedoms, he said.

Defence and armed forces are strategic priority for the country, he remarked. Bulgaria’s membership of NATO was the strongest guarantee of the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bulgaria, he added.

As an ally, Bulgaria is determined to contribute to the implementation of the shared solutions agreed to within the NATO alliance, which were aimed at adapting it to the changing security environment, he said.

The capabilities of the NATO defence alliance were based on the capabilities of member states, he said.

He remarked that if one or more members of the alliance did not improve their defence capabilities and if they did not fulfill their responsibilities, this would affect the security of the entire alliance.

The President reminded that Bulgaria had been a NATO member since 2004 and had clear allied commitments stemming from the membership.

The Bulgarian army repeatedly received high recognition for its participation in international missions and NATO operations in the world, he remarked.

The adopted plan aimed to enhance the combat readiness of the Bulgarian armed forces and to reflect the threats, wherever they come from, he said.

Plevneliev recommended the Council of Ministers to start working on a new plan for development of the armed forces.

He said that the CCNS supported the principle of non-reduction of the defence budget and gradually increasing the percentage of GDP allocated to defence.

Plevneliev said that the government’s plan would be based on a programme that would be discussed and adopted by the National Assembly.

CCNS recommends the defence capabilities to meet NATO compatibility standards, he said.

He noted that the modernization of the army should be compliant with the financial possibilities of the country.