site.btaDefence Minister Meets with US Ambassador to NATO

Defence Minister Todor Tagarev and US Ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith on Thursday discussed a number of issues in the area of security and defence, the Ministry of Defence said. 

The two reviewed some aspects of last week's NATO defence ministers' meeting in Brussels. Emphasis was placed on the implementation of NATO's regional plans, the multilateral assistance Bulgaria has been providing and is ready to continue to provide to Ukraine, the joint actions of Bulgaria, Turkey and Romania to combat the mining threat in the Black Sea, as well as security issues in the Western Balkans. 

Among the topics discussed were also the development of modernization projects for the Bulgarian army, projects related to military mobility, Bulgaria's commitments as a host country of NATO's multinational battle group, as well as the role of the US and the interaction between NATO and the EU in ensuring regional security. Both sides expressed appreciation for the joint cooperation in the field of defence, the ministry further said.