site.btaUS Ambassador Merten Stresses NATO Is "Umbrella of Safety for Bulgaria"

Addressing the participants in an AmCham Executive Club Business Luncheon on Friday, US Ambassador Kenneth Merten said Bulgaria is an important country for NATO. The event was organized by the American Chamber of Commerce in Bulgaria on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Bulgaria's NATO accession. The diplomat referred to NATO as "an umbrella of safety for Bulgaria".

The topic of the event was "Bulgaria in 2024: Perspectives and Challenges: Europe’s Future and the Resilience of the Transatlantic Partnership".

US-Bulgaria relations were the highlight of the diplomat's address.

Ambassador Merten said: "My job is really to look to the future. To prepare for the future, it is also important to understand the past." He said it was very important to look at how far Bulgaria has come. "Bulgaria has challenges today, every country has challenges. But Bulgaria has made incredible progress in the past 30 years - it has made economic progress and democratic progress," he said.

The Ambassador noted that "today is an important day," a celebration of 20 years since Bulgaria joined NATO. He said it is an incredible thing that Bulgaria is an important and contributing NATO member.

Ambassador Merten also said Bulgaria has made some progress in the area of corruption: there are still things that need to be done but this is an issue that every country needs to confront. He believes that in the next 5-10 years many more steps will be taken in this direction, and mentioned the investment screening mechanism which will help Bulgaria protect its critical infrastructure and will help it keep corrupt capital out of the country.

Furthermore, Ambassador Merten commented on the political situation in Bulgaria: "We are disappointed that the efforts to form a government were unsuccessful. It is not our job to intervene in these discussions. We are very pleased with the progress that has been made in the past nine months and we are hoping that it can continue once a new government is formed after the elections."

The US Ambassador added that this is no reason not to be optimistic about Bulgaria, and stressed that there are institutions in place here, Bulgaria will continue to be a member of the European Union and to be a contributing member to NATO. He also noted that Bulgaria will continue to play its role in this part of the world and that its neighbours will hopefully one day will be partners in the EU.