site.btaDefence Minister, NATO's International Affairs Adviser Discuss Eastern Flank's Security

Bulgarian Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov and the Chief of Defence, Admiral Emil Evtimov, Tuesday discussed current security issues on NATO's Eastern flank with Stephen Covington, Strategic and International Affairs Adviser to NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR). Covington is paying an official visit to Bulgaria from June 24 to 26 at the invitation of the Chief of Defence.

The challenges in the Black Sea region caused by the Russian aggression against Ukraine were also on the agenda, as well as opportunities for synchronization of Bulgaria's and the Alliance’s action plans in the context of defence.

Zapryanov presented the guest with his Ministry's Badge of Honour for his contribution to the shaping and implementation of the common policy and joint activities in NATO structures and on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Bulgaria's accession to the Alliance. "Your commitment to the security of the Euro-Atlantic area and your determination to strengthen the ties between our Ministry of Defence and the Bulgarian Armed Forces, on the one hand, and NATO's military-political structures, on the other, make you a true friend of Bulgaria," the Minister said.

Covington delivered a lecture at the Rakovski National Defence College on the adaptation, transformation and challenges which the Alliance is facing due to the changed security environment. 

Stephen Covington is the longest serving adviser to SACEUR in Alliance’s history. He has handled Russian issues for over four decades, impacting Alliance military policy toward Russia throughout the last 35 years, working with the Russian military for 25 years on policy, strategy, operations, military security dialogue, defense concepts. He is the principal strategy designer and author of the Alliance’s Deterrence and Defense Strategy, NATO’s first military strategy since the end of the Cold War.