site.btaForeign Minister Kondov Meets NATO Secretary General Rutte

Foreign Minister Ivan Kondov participated in a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte during his first visit to Bulgaria at the Novo Selo training ground on Thursday, Kondov's Ministry said in a press release. Rutte was briefed on the activities and composition of the Multinational Battle Group on Bulgarian territory, which includes nine Allied nations with Italy as a framework nation.

During the talks, Kondov pointed out that with his visit the NATO Secretary General sends a clear signal of encouragement and support to the Allied forces on Bulgarian territory and to Bulgaria as a reliable NATO member. Bulgaria's chief diplomat said that in the last 20 years Sofia has played a crucial role in maintaining security both in the Black Sea region and in the Western Balkans, and the role of the NATO Multinational Battle Group is crucial in ensuring a more secure environment on the Eastern Flank and throughout the Euro-Atlantic area.

Kondov stressed that Bulgaria attributes particular importance to the strengthening of security on the Eastern Flank, in line with the decisions of the NATO Summits in Washington and Vilnius, highlighting the Bulgarian commitment to spend at least 2% of GDP on defence in the coming years.

The Foreign Minister said Bulgaria will continue to support Ukraine in its effort to prevail against Russian aggression - both through the recently established NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine (NSATU), through the EU mechanisms, and bilaterally, in order to strengthen the overall combat readiness of the Ukrainian forces.