site.btaStamp Commemorating 20th Anniversary of Bulgaria's NATO Membership Is Cancelled

A commemorative stamp on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Bulgaria's NATO membership was cancelled on Monday at a ceremony at the Foreign Ministry by Foreign Minister Ivan Kondov, the Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov and Transport Krasimira Stoyanova in the presence of diplomats and public figures.

20 years ago Bulgaria made a civilized choice by stepping on the path of Euro-Atlantic integration and confidently joining the ranks of NATO, Ivan Kondov said. In his words, this made Bulgaria an integral part of the global security system. The alliance is the main guarantor of the security of Bulgarian citizens and today it is more necessary than ever, he added.

Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov said that Bulgaria has been a member of various alliances, but for the first time it is a member of a military-political alliance built on values and it is a guarantor of the country’s military security, territorial integrity and independence. This is a historic achievement, Zapryanov stressed. Many people still think that NATO members are the Foreign Ministry and the Defence Ministry. The Bulgarian state is a member of NATO, it is a national effort and the stamp will be a symbol used at the national level, Zapryanov said.

He added that never before in NATO's history has the alliance's territorial integrity and security been so threatened as now by Russia and its aggression in Ukraine. “This is why we are doing everything in our power to meet the objectives of collective defence,” the minister said and expressed his expectation that the new government will prioritize building defence capabilities.

Transport Minister Krasimira Stoyanova said that the stamp, dedicated to the 20th anniversary of Bulgaria's NATO membership, is a sign of the importance of the decision the young Bulgarian democracy made back in 2004.