site.btaDeputy Defence Minister Zapryanov Takes Part in Forums on Security in Southeast Europe

The traditional annual meeting of the Ministers of Defence of the participating countries in the South-Eastern Europe Defence Ministerial Process (SEDM) took place on November 21-23 in Ankara, Turkiye. A Bulgarian delegation led by Deputy Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov participated in the event, the Defence Ministry said on Thursday.

The meeting was opened by SEDM President Simona Cojcaru. The participants in the forum were welcomed by the Turkiye’s National Defence Minister Yasar Guler and Romanian National Defence Minister of National Defence Angel Tilvar, as the representative of the country chairing the SEDM Process.

The discussions focused on the progress achieved and the possibilities for further development of the initiative, the perspectives for the activities of the South East Europe Brigade (SEEBRIG), as well as other topical issues of regional security and defence cooperation.

Zapryanov highlighted the significant role the Process has played for almost a quarter of a century in strengthening good neighbourly relations and in the Euro-Atlantic integration of the countries in the region.

The heads of the national delegations of the member states briefed the participants in the meeting on the positions of their countries on the situation in Ukraine and the conflict between Hamas and Israel. At the end of the meetings, a joint declaration of defence ministers was adopted.

A Note of Accession of Moldova to the SEDM Process Coordination Committee Agreement was signed during the meeting.

The Ankara meeting is the first summit organized under the Romanian presidency of the SEDM. Bulgaria was the SEDM Chair in the period 2009-2011 and 2021-2023.

During the visit to Ankara, Zapryanov participated in the trilateral talks with his counterparts from Romania and Turkiye on the draft Memorandum of Understanding for the launch of a naval mine countermeasures operation in the Black Sea (MCM Black Sea).  The details of the Memorandum are expected to be finalized in the near future, which will enable the mine action group to be activated. Its actions will contribute both to greater security in Bulgarian territorial waters and the country’s exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea, as well as to facilitating the export of grain from Ukraine. This is of the utmost importance, not only for Ukraine itself, but also for the security of supply chains and livelihoods in much of the world, especially in Africa.