site.btaDefence Minister Atanas Zapryanov Meets with Greek Ambassador Alexios Liberopoulos

Minister of Defence Atanas Zapryanov and the Ambassador of the Republic of Greece to Bulgaria Alexios Liberopoulos held a meeting on Thursday, February 20. The two praised bilateral relations in the field of defence, as well as in all other spheres of socio-political life, and stressed the excellent partnership between Bulgaria and Greece within NATO, the European Union and a number of regional initiatives.

Zapryanov and Liberopoulos discussed the possibilities for upgrading military cooperation with an emphasis on the shared responsibility for strengthening security in the Black Sea region and the important role of the two countries in the eastern region of responsibility of the Alliance. Minister Zapryanov expressed gratitude for Greece's contribution to the NATO Multinational Battle Group with host country Bulgaria.

Projects of mutual interest for improving North-South connectivity and the development of strategic infrastructure were discussed, as well as the existing opportunities for financing these projects.

The new challenges in the dynamically changing security environment, the assistance and support for Ukraine, the projects for the modernization of the armed forces of the two countries and the opportunities for exchange of experience in this context, as well as the interaction between the defence industries of the two countries were also a focus of the talks. Zapryanov and Liberopoulos highly praised the joint activities to protect the common border and deter illegal migration.

The meeting was attended by Major General Zdravko Pehlivanov, Chief of the Defence Staff and the Defense Attaché of Greece, Colonel Dimitrios Adamopoulos.