site.btaGen. Petr Pavel Praises Bulgaria's Contribution to NATO

Sofia, December 1 (BTA) - General Petr Pavel, Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, praised highly Bulgaria's contribution to NATO activities, missions and operations. He thanked this country for its contribution to NATO in the interests of regional and global security.

Gen. Pavel received the St George Badge of Honour, First Class for Officers, at a formal event at the Defence Ministry.

He said this was an award for the Alliance as well, and explained that the purpose of his visit was to find more details about the security situation in the region.

Gen. Pavel said that the modern threats facing the NATO Member States and ways to counteract them were on the agenda of his meetings with Deputy Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov and the Chief of Defence, Lt. Gen. Andrey Botsev.

Gen. Pavel noted as positive Bulgaria's efforts to increase its defence budget and investments in the armed forces. He emphasized Bulgaria achievements in ensuring regional stability through cooperation with various structures of the countries of the region. It is in NATO's and the Allies' interest to have a stable Balkan region. That is why NATO sets great store by security in the Black Sea region.

Atanas Zapryanov noted that the proactive role of the NATO Military Committee and the NATO Military Commands led to some very timely decisions which were being implemented, making NATO even more secure and effective in dealing with challenges and threats. The threats arising from North Korea's nuclear programme, the fight against global terrorism, and cyber security and hybrid war matters were on the agenda of his meeting with Gen. Pavel.

Gen. Botsev said his meeting with Gen. Pavel focused on Bulgaria and NATO ahead of the summit in 2018. Gen. Botsev detailed the NATO official on the progress made on the Armed Forces' Development Plan 2020, which is linked with the Programme for the Development of the Defence Capabilities of the Bulgarian Armed Forces 2020.