site.btaDirect Military Aggression Against Bulgaria's Sovereignty Currently Not Probable - Analyst

January 14 (BTA) - Direct military aggression against the
 sovereignty and territorial integrity of Bulgaria as a member
of NATO and the EU is not probable at present, said Simeon
Nikolov, member of the Governing Board of the Bulgarian
Diplomatic Society (BDS). He was speaking at a BTA-hosted news
conference on Tuesday where the BDS presented its annual
analysis on international politics and Bulgarian diplomacy in
2019.

The participants in the news conference called for the adoption
of a foreign policy strategy of Bulgaria.

Nikolov said that in terms of military strategy, the biggest
threat to Europe and the world stems from, most of all, the
emerging loss of some of the mechanisms for controlling armament
 in the form of agreements. According to him, an agreement is
urgently needed to regulate the development of artificial
intelligence for military purposes and the use of drones.

According to Nikolov, it is particularly important that Bulgaria
 not become a front belt and that it avoid the Black Sea's
further militarization. He outlined as a very perspective
initiative the establishment of a common European defence, but
expressed concern that Bulgaria might remain in the periphery of
 this integration process.

Lyubomir Kyuchyukov commented that the situation in the Balkans
is insecure as a result of the process of transition from a
bipolar to a multipolar world model. In his words, this process
has turned the Balkans into a field for defending global
players' interests. There has been a certain abdication of the
EU from the Balkan region, mainly from the Western Balkans, the
analyst argued.
   
He also said that 2019 was a catastrophic year for international
 law in view of the violations of existing international
agreements.
 
Andrey Karaslavov said that Bulgaria's foreign policy follows
the lines set by Brussels, thus losing its individual image.
 
NV/DS

/ДЛ/