site.btaBulgarian FM Gabriel in NATO: Cooperation, Preemptive Actions, Share of Experience Are at Euro-Atlantic Approach's Base

The first session of the NATO-Ukraine Council was held during the meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs at the NATO Headquarters in Brussels on Tuesday and Wednesday. In her speech, Bulgarian Foreign Minister Mariya Gabriel said, as quoted by her ministry, that cooperation, preemptive actions, and the share of experience are at the base of the Euro-Atlantic approach. The security and stability of the Black Sea region and the Western Balkans remain key for Bulgaria, which stands out with a strategic position and key role in strengthening NATO's eastern flank, she added.

Bulgaria's efforts to modernize its military capabilities and its plan to achieve a defence spending of 2% of GDP in 2024 do not remain unnoticed, Gabriel said. She put an emphasis on Bulgaria's key place for regional stability and its contribution to the KFOR and EUFOR ALTHEA operations in Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina, respectively.

The participants in the session also discussed the allies' support for Ukraine and NATO's role in coordinating the long-term support in the field of security. Gabriel expressed the hope that the ratification process of the protocol for Sweden joining the Alliance will be finalized soon.

"The short-term and long-term support for Ukraine continues to be high on the agenda. Bulgaria remains committed to the provision of assistance to Ukraine in the sector where our help is most needed. The implementation of our commitments is a clear expression of our solidarity with Ukraine," Gabriel also said.

The meeting approved the sub-structures of the NATO-Ukraine Council and the work programme for 2024, which deepen the Alliance's cooperation with Ukraine in key sectors, such as energy security, innovation, cybersecurity, and countering misinformation. A statement by the NATO-Ukraine Council at the level of Foreign Ministers was issued underscoring the progress in NATO-Ukraine relations since the Vilnius Summit in July.