On the first day of their five-day visit to the United States, Defence Minister Todor Tagarev and the Chief of Defence, Admiral Emil Eftimov, held meetings at the US Department of State with Jessica Lewis, Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs, and with Jason Israel, Senior Director for Defense Policy at the National Security Council. The talks noted the high level of bilateral cooperation achieved in the field of defence, the progress made in the modernization of the Bulgarian Armed Forces, the increased resources for defence, and Bulgaria's aid for Ukraine, the Bulgarian Defence Ministry said Thursday. The sides agreed that the support for Ukraine should continue.
Tagarev took part in a discussion forum of the Atlantic Council on Bulgaria's role in strengthening NATO's eastern flank, security in the Western Balkans and the Black Sea Region. He noted Thursday's signing in Istanbul of a memorandum of understanding between Bulgaria, Turkiye, and Romania on the establishment of a Mine Counter-measures Task Group Black Sea.
The forum was broadcast live on a special online platform and social media. It generated strong interest in former and current diplomats, journalists, representatives of academic circles and centres for security studies.
Also on the first day of their visit to the US, Tagarev and and Admiral Eftimov visited the National Defense University, where they met with its President, Lieutenant General Michael Plehn, Bulgarian officers there and representatives of the academic community from the Institute for National Strategic Studies. The talks focused on the prospects for joint actions to counter disinformation.
The Bulgarian delegation also took part in a discussion organized by the Jamestown Foundation dedicated to Black Sea security matters.
/RY/
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