site.btaBulgaria Attends Balkan Chiefs of Defence Meeting

"Modern conflicts are no longer limited to the battlefield, and protecting the civilian population must be viewed as an integral part of national resilience," Bulgaria's Chief of Defence, Admiral Emil Eftimov, said, quoted by the Bulgarian Defence Ministry in a press release on Wednesday. The Admiral was addressing the 19th annual Balkan Countries' Chiefs of Defence Conference.

The forum is taking place in Thessaloniki, Greece, June 2-4, on the topic of "Challenges and Innovations in the Protection of the Population: Adapting to the New Realities of War." 

The event enables the Chiefs of Defence of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Greece, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Turkiye to discuss shared concerns of the participating countries' armed forces and opportunities for deepening regional military cooperation. 

In his speech Admiral Eftimov stressed the need to build resilience through three interrelated components: military, civil and societal, which must act in an integrated manner in response to crises of different nature. The Bulgarian Chief of Defence also highlighted the importance of regional cooperation among the Balkan countries as a key condition for better preparation, faster coordination and more effective protection of the public, with a focus on improving national and regional resilience.

Within the framework of the conference, Admiral Eftimov held bilateral meetings with the Chief of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff, General Dimitrios Houpis, and the Commander of the NATO Joint Force Command in Naples, Admiral George Wikoff. The sides focused on regional military cooperation and topics of mutual interest.