site.btaDefence Minister Confers with Ambassador of North Macedonia

Defence Minister Todor Tagarev met with the Ambassador of the Republic of North Macedonia to Bulgaria, Agneza Popovska, on Friday, the Ministry of Defence reported. Tagarev and Popovska expressed satisfaction with the good cooperation and intensive political dialogue between their countries in the field of defence, both bilaterally and within NATO.

The talks focused on the contribution of North Macedonia to the measures to reinforce the eastern flank through the participation in the NATO Multinational Battle Group in Bulgaria with the framework country Italy, the future development of the Battle Group up to brigade level, as well as transport connectivity.

Tagarev expressed support for the European future of the Republic of North Macedonia in the implementation of the commitments and stressed its importance not only for the bilateral cooperation but also for the security and development of the entire region. 

The agenda included the long-standing cooperation in the field of education and training in the security sector, as well as the opportunities for it to develop more intensively, both in terms of training in various specialties, including army doctors, and in terms of research projects with European funding.

On August 18, Tagarev met with the Dutch Ambassador to Bulgaria, Simon van der Burg, to discuss the security risks in the Black Sea region and the need to prevent an escalation of tensions, NATO's commitment to increase defence budgets, as well as projects to improve military mobility.