site.btaPrime Minister Borissov Confers with NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg in Brussels

December 12 (BTA correspondent Nikolay Jeliazkov) -
Emerging from a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens
Stoltenberg in Brussels on Thursday, Bulgarian Prime Minister
Boyko Borissov said that NATO is the only guarantor of security
in the Balkan region.

"We are arming ourselves in order to be strong and deter any
plans against our territory and our alliance," said Borissov. He
 added that work is underway on the Belene N-plant and the
Balkan Stream pipeline in order to keep dialogue with Russia
open and maintain balance which allows Bulgaria to play a key
role in the region and the Black Sea. "We are not doing anything
 covert. The agreement signed for the NATO coordination centre
in Varna is enjoying huge support across the alliance," said
Borissov.

He went on to say that Bulgaria has not pressed for a
coordination centre, arguing that the country has coordination
functions now with five naval exercises in the Black Sea in
2019. Borissov reiterated his position against a NATO naval
group in the Black Sea.

The Bulgarian Prime Minister said that his meeting with
Stoltenberg discussed Bulgaria's contribution to North
Macedonia's entry to NATO with the signing of the friendship
treaty.

The PM recalled that in addition to new fighter jets, Bulgaria
will purchase two minehunters from the Netherlands and may
negotiate with Norway the purchase of a decommissioned submarine
 if the price is right and if the economy remains stable.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that in 2019
Bulgaria celebrates its 15th anniversary of joining NATO.
Bulgaria is contributing to NATO and to the shared security in
many different ways and to Black Sea security. The security
environment in the Black Sea region has changed and NATO will
strengthen its presence in response, said Stoltenberg.

The NATO Secretary General welcomed the increase of Bulgarian
defence spending to 3.25 per cent of GDP in 2019 which puts
Bulgaria among the nine NATO countries which meet their target
expenditures of more than 2 per cent of GDP. These efforts make
NATO stronger and Bulgaria safer, said Stoltenberg. ZH/PP