site.btaBulgarian, Greek Defence Ministers Discuss EU External Border Security, Defence Cooperation

Bulgarian, Greek Defence Ministers Discuss EU External Border Security, Defence Cooperation

Sofia, July 26 (BTA) - After meeting with his Greek counterpart on Tuesday, Bulgarian Defence Minister Nikolay Nenchev told a joint news conference that Panos Kammenos voiced a readiness to back a possible request from Sofia for stronger NATO presence in the Black Sea which could stop a migrant influx.

Greece's National Defence Minister Panos Kammenos is on an official visit to Bulgaria on Tuesday.

Cooperation in defence and the defence industry, exchange of defence information, the migrant problem and the protection of the EU's external borders were on the agenda of the defence ministers' meeting.

Nenchev said they agreed that the two countries' special units would hold a joint exercise on both sides of the Bulgarian-Greek border to show "unity and strength". The two countries will apply jointly for various programmes for strengthening cooperation and security at the Bulgarian-Greek border, said Nenchev.

Kammenos also stressed the need of cooperation in coping with the migrant problem. He said that migrants definitely do not want to stay either in Bulgaria or in Greece, so it should be perfectly clear to the EU and NATO that helping the two countries is of great importance to the other EU and NATO countries as well.

Kammenos said Greece and Bulgaria would invite NATO representatives to their joint exercises.

Nenchev added that the two ministries would set up contact groups to discuss specific matters on the agenda of Tuesday's meeting, mostly about border security and defence industry cooperation.