site.btaTwo Retired Generals Receive President’s Badge of Honour ahead of Land Forces Day

Two retired generals received the Bulgarian President’s Badge of Honour on Friday ahead of Land Forces Day (November 19). The accolade comes in recognition of their remarkable contribution to the development and the strengthening of the Armed Forces and national security.

Col. Gen. Tsvetan Totomirov (Ret.) was honoured for drawing up the national defence strategy after the demise of the Warsaw Pact, amid serious limitations in terms of funding and resources. Handing him the badge, President Rumen Radev said that Totomirov worked in a complicated situation and gave his energy to preserve the nation’s defence capabilities while opening up the Armed Forces to the Western countries, thus helping to pave the way for Bulgaria’s NATO membership.

Gen. Zlatan Stoikov (Ret.) received the Badge of Honour for his leading role in the transformation of the Bulgarian military command and planning systems to align them with NATO standards. Stoikov was instrumental in organizing Bulgarian military contingents for overseas missions and ensuring their successful rotation. In this way, he boosted the international prestige of the Bulgarian Armed Forces and the country’s reputation as a reliable member of NATO, President Radev said.