site.bta Bulgarian, Greek Special Operations Forces Discuss Joint Training

Bulgarian, Greek Special Operations Forces Discuss Joint Training

Sofia, November 3 (BTA) - A Greek delegation, led by Brigadier General Nikolaos Flaris, Commander of the Hellenic Armed Forces Joint Special Operations Command, paid a three-day visit to the 68th Special Forces Brigade. The result came as a result of bilateral arrangements made during meetings in the first half of 2016 between the two countries' Defence Ministers, Nikolay Nenchev and Panagiotis Kammenos, and Bulgaria's Chief of Defence, General Konstantin Popov, and the Chief of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff, Admiral Evangelos Apostolakis, the Bulgarian Defence Ministry said in a press release on Thursday.

The Greek Special Operations Commander visited the Tsruncha Specialized Training Centre (South Central Bulgaria), where he was familiarized with the weapons, materiel and special-purpose equipment used by the Bulgarian Special Forces. The 2nd and the 3rd Battalion of the 68th Brigade demonstrated capabilities of organizing and carrying out a direct action to neutralize terrorists in a building and freeing a hostage, mountain training, sharpshooting, firing practice, etc. Other capabilities demonstrated were for combat in enclosed spaces, using dummy ammunition in a training room equipped with cameras.

During the talks, the sides reached agreements on cooperation, sharing experience and taking part in various joint training events and exercises on a basis of reciprocity between the Greek and the Bulgarian Special Operations Forces. The first in a series of events agreed between General Flaris and the Commander of the 68th Brigade, Brigadier General Yavor Mateev, will be a joint exercise with the Greek Special Operations Forces in Bulgarian territory in the spring of 2017, and another such territory is planned to take place in Greek territory in 2018.