site.btaBulgaria Takes Part in Regional Defence Cooperation Event in North Macedonia

A delegation of the Bulgarian Ministry of Defence visited Kumanovo, North Macedonia between August 30 and September 1, the Ministry said in a press release on Friday. The delegation took part in a three-purpose ceremony of handing over the Chairmanship of the South Eastern Europe Defence Ministerial (SEDM) Process, changing the commander of the South-Eastern Europe Brigade (SEEBRIG) and marking the 24th anniversary of SEEBRIG's establishment.

The Bulgarian delegation was led by Deputy Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov and included Deputy Chief of Defence Lt. Gen. Mihail Popov, SEDM Secretariat Director Daniela Grigorova and other Secretariat members.

Addressing the ceremony, Zapryanov reviewed the events during the Bulgarian SEDM Chairmanship and the contributions and merits of all parties to the initiative. He wished good luck to the Romanian Chairmanship, which will lead SEDM in the next two years, and to the new SEEBRIG Commander, Brig. Gen. Bilbil Bitri of Albania.

During the visit, Zapryanov held separate meetings with North Macedonia's Deputy Defence Minister Tiron Jajaga and with Simona Cojocaru, State Secretary and Chief of the Department for Defence Policy, Planning and International Relations at the Romanian Ministry of National Defence. The sides discussed the development of the SEDM Process and current matters of bilateral defence cooperation.

The official handover of the rotating SEDM Chairmanship from Bulgaria to Romania took place on June 28. Sofia chaired the Process from July 1, 2021, until July 1, 2023. Over that period, the SEDM Secretariat, then functioning under the Bulgarian Defence Ministry Directorate for Defence Policy and Planning, organized 29 events related to the regional initiative.

Launched in 1996, the SEDM Process is an effective mechanism to bolster regional security and one of the most important forums for regional security and defence cooperation.