NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, for BNT: We see Russian attempts to undermine democratic institutions in Bulgaria

NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, expressed the Alliance's support for Bulgaria.

Speaking to BNT correspondent in Brussels, Dessislava Apostolova, on March 24, he said:

BNT: Mr. Secretary General, have the ministers from the Alliance discussed the tensions between Bulgaria and Russia after the uncovering of a spy ring suspected of working for Russia and the recall of two Russian diplomats. Your message to Bulgaria and to Russia?

Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary General of NATO: The message from NATO and from me as Secretary General is a message of solidarity! I spoke yesterday with the Bulgarian Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister, who is participating in our meeting today. She raised the issue and informed us on the subject. We are closely following the Bulgarian authorities' investigation into an alleged Russian spy network. NATO takes the protection of classified information very, very seriously and we fully support Bulgaria's efforts to tackle Russia's malign activities on its territory. In Bulgaria we see a certain model of Russian behaviour, of attempts to undermine democratic institutions, attempts to interfere in domestic politics and enter the field of intelligence. This is part of a certain model and that is why it is important to be together, to show solidarity, to work in sharing information and to help each other.