site.btaEU Military Committee Chairman Graziano Pays Official Visit to Bulgaria

Sofia, April 22 (BTA) - The Chairman of the European Union
Military Committee (CEUMC), General Claudio Graziano, Thursday
paid an official visit to Bulgaria at the invitation of the
Chief of Defence, Admiral Emil Eftimov.

The EU's ambition to achieve a balance between tasks, resources
and capabilities of the Armed Forces in the separate Member
States was in the focus of a meeting between General Graziano
and President and Commander-in-Chief of the Bulgarian Armed
Force Rumen Radev, the head of State's press secretariat
reported. They also discussed the modernization and development
of the Bulgarian Armed Forces' defence capabilties.

Also on Thursday, General Graziano and Admiral Eftimov made
statements at the Ministry of Defence. The guest said that the
situation in the eastern region remains tense and that
commitment to the  protection of the EU's common borders against
 new and old  challenges must remain ensured. He stressed that
there are new challenges from the northern to the eastern flank,
 as well as entering through the EU's eastern border. According
to the General, in these times of pandemic and crisis, it is
important to emphasize the importance of cross-border corridors,
 such as Corridor 8, in maintaining the supply and transport of
critical cargo, especially in the context of EU military
mobility.

Admiral Eftimov noted that there are also increasing risks and 
threats to European order and security, as well as a tendency 
for increased conflicts in the immediate vicinity of the EU 
borders. The two high-ranking military officials discussed 
security in individual regions, as well as the process of 
developing a new strategic document in the field of security and
  defense, a so-called Strategic Compass.

General Graziano also spoke with outgoing Defence Minister 
Krassimir Karakachanov, saying he feared the post-pandemic world
  would be less secure than the one we lived in before. He 
emphasized the key role of Bulgaria in the Balkan region and the
  country's strategic importance for the EU. He thanked Bulgaria
  for its constant quality contribution to European operations
and  missions.

Later, during an online meeting with General Graziano, outgoing
Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said, as quoted by the Government
Information Service, that the Bulgarian government would always
be on the side of Euro-Atlantic values. Among its key priorities
 are the protection of security, reliable protection and the
defence of Bulgaria, Borissov said during the talks. According
to him, the escalation of tensions in the Black Sea is worrying
and it is necessary to hold talks on the topic.

Borissov also said that after the completion of the strategic
defence review, a new Programme for Development of the Defence
Capabilities of the Bulgarian Armed Forces until 2032 was
approved. The goal is for the Bulgarian Armed Forces to be
modernized, interoperable, with a unified system for command and
 control during both peacetime and crises and, above all, to
have the main priority defence capabilities. RI, NV/DT, DS