site.btaNATO Deputy Secretary General Geoana Welcomes Bulgaria's Commitment to Defence Spending of at Least 2% of GDP

"I welcome Bulgaria's commitment to allocate at least 2 percent of its GDP to defence spending in the coming years, which will translate into more combat aircraft, fighter jets, patrol ships and infantry fighting vehicles. This will increase security in Bulgaria and make NATO stronger," NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana, who is on a visit to Bulgaria, said here on Friday. 

Russia continues to wage its war of aggression against Ukraine, Geoana said. Russia's dangerous actions are a serious threat to security in the Black Sea region. NATO and allies have stepped up their surveillance and reconnaissance efforts in the Black Sea, including through naval patrol aircraft, NATO's AWACS aircraft and drones, he said. "I am very pleased that Bulgaria is working in cooperation with Turkiye and Romania to counter floating mines in the Black Sea," the NATO Deputy Secretary General said. 

“We know that Russia will use winter conditions to its advantage in the war against Ukraine, and winter is near. We need to continue to give the Ukrainians what they need to continue to be strong on the battlefield and give them a stronger position at the negotiating table," Geoana added. 

"We need to keep all these things in mind in view of the upcoming summit in Washington next year when we will celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Alliance," he added. He said NATO needs to focus on several things, including how to strengthen its defence capabilities, support to Ukraine, and implement the 360-degree approach to Alliance security.

Together with Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov, Geoana observed on Friday the demonstrations within the Iron Strike 2023 exercise of the Bulgaria-hosted multinational battlegroup led by Italy.

The training at Novo Selo was also observed by Defence Minister Todor Tagarev, the ambassadors of the countries participating with their military formations in the multinational battlegroup, chairmen of the parliamentary committees and parliamentary groups. The demonstration was also attended by Chief of Defence Admiral Emil Eftimov, Deputy Ministers of Defence and Foreign Affairs Atanas Zapryanov and Elena Shekerletova, Foreign and Security Policy Advisor to the Prime Minister's Political Office Dragomir Zakov, as well as senior officers from the Bulgarian Army and NATO.

The exercise is carried out in the framework of the training plans of the multinational battle group, established in accordance with the measures to strengthen NATO's deterrence and defence capabilities to ensure the security of the Eastern flank of the Alliance.