site.btaNATO Crisis Management, Disaster Response Centre of Excellence Unveiled in Sofia

NATO Crisis Management, Disaster Response Centre of Excellence Unveiled in Sofia


Sofia, September 17 (BTA) - A NATO Crisis Management and
Disaster Response Centre of Excellence was officially unveiled
in Sofia on Wednesday.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, President Rosen Plevneliev
said: "Peace and security are not free of charge, they have
their price which we should be ready to pay so as to guarantee
them."

Bulgaria will work for a more significant participation in
initiatives and projects within NATO and the EU, he said. "Our
goal is the Centre of Excellence to be accredited soon," he
added.

The Centre will work as part of the network of NATO centres of
excellence around the world. Its establishment is the result of
joint efforts on the part of Bulgaria, Greece, Poland, and
NATO's Allied Command Transformation.

Defence Minister Velizar Shalamanov said that he expects the
number of countries wishing to join the Centre to increase soon.


The Centre of Excellence Director, Colonel Vassil Roussinov,
presented the international organization's activity, noting that
it is independent and not a structure of the Defence Ministry,
as well as that it will not be part of the Alliance's command
structure once NATO grants it the status of an international
military organization. Roussinov told journalists that the
Centre provides expert analyses to institutions and departments,
and is not in itself an operative unit reacting to disasters.
The international organization is financed by the shared budget
formed by the participating countries, currently three in
number. The Centre has 49 employees and its budget until the end
of 2014 has been calculated on the basis of 430,000 euro for
the whole year.

Attending the opening ceremony were the head of State,
ministers, high-ranking servicemen, representatives of various
institutions, many ambassadors and experts.