site.btaBulgaria's Permanent Representative to NATO: Bulgaria's NATO Membership Clearly Showed Its Willingness to Follow Path of Freedom

Bulgaria's NATO membership, achieved 20 years ago, was a clear act identifying this country's willingness to follow the path of freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law - values that are enshrined in the Washington Treaty and that the Alliance is called to defend, the Bulgarian Permanent Representative to NATO, Ambassador Nikolay Milkov, said in an interview with BTA.

On 29 March 2004, Bulgaria deposited in Washington its documents of accession to the North Atlantic Treaty, thus becоming part of the NATO political and military alliance.

According to the latest opinion poll, conducted among NATO members last December, 59% of Bulgarians considered NATO membership important for the country's security at the moment, against 19% for whom it was not important, Ambassador Milkov recalled.

In the face of abrupt geopolitical changes, however, what remains constant is the Alliance's unwavering will to defend every inch of allied territory. This is the unchanged essence of NATO, which is impervious to political or geostrategic shocks, Nikolay Milkov pointed out.

Commenting on the changes in Bulgaria brought about by its NATO membership, Milkov said that the main change is related to the guarantees offered by the Alliance for the sovereignty and security of this country.

There is consensus within the Alliance that in the context of threats coming from the East, the importance of the eastern flank is growing, he explained. Bulgaria seeks to focus the attention of the allies on security issues in the Black Sea region, freedom of navigation, the dangers associated with a possible escalation of the conflict in Ukraine, the risks of misjudgments and missteps by the Russian side, he explained. "Another topic that we also regularly bring to the attention of our allies is the Western Balkans, where a potential destabilization would lead to severe consequences for the security environment in the region," Ambassador Milkov said.

In his words, NATO assesses very positively the fact that Bulgaria is a source of stability in the region of South Eastern Europe. "The policies pursued by our country are in line with the values of the Alliance and contribute to its objectives. We are developing strategic partnerships and are an active party in the cooperation with key allies. Traditionally and to the best of our abilities, we have participated in various NATO operations, and our contribution to KFOR in Kosovo remains significant," he said.

Bulgarians' attitudes towards the Alliance

A total of 72% respond positively and 11% negatively whether NATO membership will be important in the future. And to the direct question whether the interviewees would like Bulgaria to leave NATO, the answers are 28% against, compared to 56% in favour of membership in the Alliance.

"Contrary to propaganda suggestions created on social media or by the campaigns of vocal political minorities, there is strong support for our participation in NATO and objectivity in public understanding of the Alliance's role. This process should be strengthened and developed, and these percentages should not be reassuring, because these figures are at some of the lowest levels among the allies," noted Nikolay Milkov.

In his words, when Bulgaria joined the Alliance 20 years ago and in the years before that, the geopolitical situation was quite different. "There was a perception that a large-scale war in Europe was impossible, that the military threat had been consigned to history, and that the new risks were mainly asymmetric and stemmed from terrorism, uncontrolled proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, etc," he said.

Defence spending

Bulgaria is one of the NATO member states that will spend 2% of its GDP on defence this year.

The decision for the Allies to reach 2% of GDP as defence spending was taken in Cardiff, Wales, in 2014 and it was in line with the then security environment with its challenges and risks, Ambassador Milkov recalled.

Since the start of Russia's aggression against Ukraine, the security environment became much more complicated sharply, he noted. There is now understanding that defence spending of 2% of GDP is no longer the cap, but the minimum, he explained.

Changes in the Alliance since the war in Ukraine

As the security environment changed, NATO had to adapt quickly to the new reality, Ambassador Nikolay Milkov said.

The sharp increase in propaganda and hybrid activity against allied countries after the war was aimed at dividing societies, creating doubts, distrust in the governments in power, but also in the democratic system itself, and dividing the countries in the Alliance. NATO is paying more and more attention to the analysis and counteraction against the hybrid threat, Nikolay Milkov said.

The aggression against Ukraine has changed not only NATO, but the entire European security architecture. Countries with centuries-old traditions of neutrality, such as Sweden and Finland, declared the goal of joining the Alliance and managed to do so in a very short time, Milkov said.

"This geopolitical shift shows once again that NATO membership is the strongest guarantee of security and defence against a potential aggressor," he said.