site.btaBTA Hosts International Conference "NATO@70: 10 Years Ahead and 15 Years Bulgaria in NATO"

 April 11 (BTA) - The Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) is
playing host on Thursday to an international conference
"NATO@70: 10 Years Ahead and 15 Years Bulgaria in NATO"
dedicated to the 70th Anniversary of NATO and the 15th
Anniversary of the accession of Bulgaria to the Alliance.

The event was opened by Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister and
Minister of Foreign Affairs Ekaterina Zaharieva, who said that
nothing can destroy the Alliance which is based not only on
interests but primarily on shared democratic values. Zaharieva
said that NATO is the most successful defence alliance given
that for 70 years there have been no hostilities in any of the
allies in it. "For 70 years NATO has succeeded in defending the
democratic values shared by its allies," she said.

Opening remarks were also made by the President of the Atlantic
Club in Bulgaria and former foreign minister, Solomon Passy, and
 BTA Director General Maxim Minchev.

In his opening address Minchev said he was happy to have had the
 opportunity to become a journalist during times that were very
interesting. "I had the opportunity, above all as a Bulgarian
journalist, to serve public causes of great significance,
whether a Papal visit to Bulgaria, the first visit to Bulgaria
of a US President, Bulgaria's joining the EU, or the biggest
cause, Bulgaria's accession to NATO. All these causes came to
become reality," Minchev said. He recalled his work as a press
director of the Atlantic Club of Bulgaria. Minchev welcomed the
participants in the conference in BTA's new multimedia centre,
saying that two anniversaries are marked there: NATO's 70th
anniversary and Bulgaria's 15th anniversary as its member. "I am
 glad that these two celebrations and these causes that came to
be true are marked here today, so we can say that April 11 is
the big premiere of this new centre," Minchev said.

Passy threw a glance back through the years and stressed the
contribution of a number of people whom he called "carriers of
the Atlantic baton"  towards the cause of Atlanticism, some of
them present at the conference, including Foreign Minister
Ekaterina Zaharieva, Deputy Prime Minister Krassimir
Karakachanov, Deputy Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov, and
others.

Deputy Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov said that NATO-EU
relations must be viewed as relations between two organizations
that are complementing each other and not competing.

Dr Antonio Missiroli, NATO Assistant Secretary General for
Emerging Security Challenges, said that at the moment NATO is
faced with various challenges, including Russia, terrorism,
cyber-security. Missiroli noted Bulgaria's leading role in the
Black Sea and said that the country supports the coordination of
 the naval forces.

US Ambassador in Sofia Eric Rubin said that Bulgaria is an
important ally in NATO, highlighting its important role in the
Alliance. Rubin noted that one of Bulgaria's biggest
achievements
 is its role in the European integration of the Western Balkans.
 Also, Bulgaria has an important role in the possibility of
North Macedonia's becoming NATO's 30th member, the US Ambassador
 said.

French Ambassador to Bulgaria Eric Lebedel commented that the
question is not for the European defence to be aimed against
NATO, but for the two to complement each other. Taking into
account the capabilities and resources provided the US,
Europeans must focus on the weaknesses and perfect their
military capabilities, the French diplomat said.

President of the Atlantic Treaty Association Fabrizio Luciolli
noted that the proper resources must be found, including
solidarity and values, in order for the transatlantic ties to be
 reinforced and for a new balance to be found, because the
current challenges are completely different from the ones in the
 past. According to him, the current security situation is
worse, despite the comparisons with the Cold War, because the
simplified model of this epoch is no longer there.

The conference started with a video showing historical events,
including such of NATO's development and of Bulgaria's path to
membership in it, footage from operations and missions of NATO
in the past 15 years, and of current security challenges.

The conference is co-organized by the Bulgarian Diplomatic
Institute, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of
Bulgaria, the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Bulgaria,
as well as the Atlantic Club of Bulgaria. The event brings
together politicians, experts, diplomats and representatives of
the Bulgarian Armed Forces. LY, IG/ZH, MY
 

/МЙ/