site.btaUPDATED PM Glavchev: Bulgaria Remains Firmly Committed to Supporting Ukraine for as Long as Necessary

Bulgaria remains firmly committed to supporting Ukraine for as long as necessary, caretaker Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev said at the spring session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly here on Monday.

"NATO remains a guarantor of Bulgaria's security and prosperity," Glavchev noted. In his words, NATO was a civilizational choice, a motivation for generations of Bulgarians, it has played a major role in the promotion of democratic values and has contributed to the peace and prosperity in this country. "The drastic deterioration of security levels proved that our most basic rights and freedoms could be put under serious threat," the caretaker Prime Minister said.

Democratic societies see NATO as the most important guarantee for their freedom and prosperity, and also that the enlargement process and the open-door policy contribute to strengthening the Euro-Atlantic security area, Glavchev said. He stressed that Bulgaria's joining the Alliance was not just a foreign policy goal, adding that the country’s NATO membership has offered the Bulgarian people the most solid security guarantees.

"Ukraine has become a defender of the whole of Europe and of our shared democratic values," Glavchev said. He noted that "Ukraine has been bravely defending its freedom and sovereignty against the Russian aggressor since 2022". "That is why supporting Ukraine and restoring its sovereignty and territorial integrity are essential for lasting peace in Europe," Glavchev noted, adding that "it is our collective duty to continue our unwavering support for Ukraine and its people". The caretaker Prime Minister recalled that through seven decisions, Bulgaria’s National Assembly has provided a wide range of assistance, including technical, military, and humanitarian.

There is no other region in NATO and the European Union that has been so seriously affected by Russia's war against Ukraine as the Black Sea region, Glavchev said. "That is why the need to adopt a strategic approach to the Black Sea was one of the main takeaways from the Second Black Sea Security Conference held in April in Sofia within the framework of the International Crimea Platform. He said that Bulgaria has consistently advocated such an approach to the Black Sea region, adding that "we need NATO presence" in it. The caretaker Prime Minister said that with the war against Ukraine, Russia seeks to establish unchallenged dominance in the Black Sea, and extend its influence in the Western Balkans and increasingly in the South Caucasus region.

"We must remain united and strongly committed in our support for Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression and invest much more in deterrence and defence capabilities," Glavchev said. He is convinced that "this high-ambition course must be pursued," especially at the upcoming NATO Summit in Washington, D.C, when decisions that will demonstrate NATO's indispensable role as a guarantor of security will be adopted. "We expect concrete results to ensure a stable and predictable, long-term security assistance mechanism for Ukraine which is adequately secured financially in the long run," Glavchev said. He added that the discussions at the summit are expected to focus on the Black Sea and Western Balkans regions, given their strategic importance for security.

In his words, NATO should continue to send a clear and strong deterrent message against any aggressive actions against vulnerable partners in the Western Balkans and the wider Black Sea region. "Disinformation and hybrid threats increasingly threaten our democratic values, so it is imperative to constantly strengthen our readiness to counter these growing threats," Glavchev noted. "That is why the proposal to build a Centre for Democratic Resilience at NATO headquarters, put forward five years ago, is becoming increasingly important in the context of the constant hybrid attacks by authoritarian regimes against our democratic systems," he said.