site.btaUPDATED Without Stable State and National Security, Nothing Else Matters - PM Denkov

"Without a stable State and national security, nothing else matters," Bulgarian Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov said here on Tuesday, greeting the participants in an International Conference on "Modernization of the Defence", organized by the non-governmental Center for Development and Policies.

Denkov pointed out that Bulgaria has delayed a number of armed forces modernization projects but must work for their successful completion so as to be able to achieve full-fledged integration into NATO's armed forces.

"We are all aware of the importance of what has been going on in recent months," the PM said. He argued that the countries in Europe had lived long assuming that economic development will safeguard peace, but now this illusion has been shattered.

"The only possible response to force is force. That is why we are here to see what the force can be so as to be sure that nobody will cross the boundaries of the European Union and NATO," Denkov told the participants in the forum.

"The question is what to do? As Prime Minister, I listen very carefully to all points of view. We hold regular meetings with the generals. We also confer with the President on this subject. As far as I am concerned, the answer is not yet self-evident. That is why I think that this conference is exceedingly important," the Prime Minister emphasized.

"There is no obvious answer to the question about the technologies that we should develop. Clearly, we must carry on the programmes that outline the structure. We delayed the aircraft, we delayed the patrol ships, the combat vehicles, the coast guard: all this is clear. We must do it, no armed forces can function without this," Denkov commented.

"At the same time, there is the question of what else we need. We saw that drones, underwater drones, hybrid attacks and cyber attacks can be just as powerful, can give the attacker an advantage, when it comes to impending dangers. When we come to that part of the debate, it turns out that there are all sorts of opinions and the answer is not obvious - at least as far as I am concerned. That is why conferences like this one are looking for an answer to this question," he added. Along with technological advances, he mentioned the ongoing progress of artificial intelligence.

"The one who locates the right answer will have the advantage to feel secure in the present-day environment in the coming years," the PM argued. He stressed the need, in addition to the investments in equipment, to invest in people who can handle the equipment and "bring it to life". 

The agenda of the Conference covers challenges to defence modernization, the State's commitment to defence modernization in the context of the changing security environment, and collaborating with domestic defence industries and international partners to leverage expertise and resources in developing, producing and/or maintaining modern defence systems.

Taking part in the event are the ambassadors to Bulgaria of Ukraine, Olesya Ilashchuk, and of Israel, Yosef Levi Sfari, Deputy Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov, and parliamentary Defence Committee Chair Todor Gadzhev. Other participants represent the ministries of economy and industry, interior, environment and water and finance, members of the Government's Security Council, representatives of the Land Forces, the Air Force and the Navy, the Rakovski National Defence College, the Prof. Tsvetan Lazarov Bulgarian Defence Institute, the Georgi Benkovski Air Force Academy, the Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy and the Vasil Levski National Military University, and industrial and investment companies.

The guest lecturers at the forum are Bulgarian MEPs Petar Vitanov, Ilhan Kyuchyuk and Eva Maydell, Deputy Defence Minister Stanimir Georgiev, the former superintendеnt of the Rakovski National Defence College, Major General (Ret). Assoc. Prof. Dr Grudi Angelov, and the Director of the Prof. Tsvetan Lazarov Bulgarian Defence Institute, Colenel Assoc. Prof. Dr Borislav Genov.