site.btaBulgarian Foreign Minister Welcomes Plans for NATO-Russia Meeting

Bulgarian Foreign Minister Welcomes Plansfor NATO-Russia Meeting

Sofia, June 29 (BTA) - Bulgarian Foreign Minister Daniel Mitov on Wednesday welcomed plans for a meeting of the NATO-Russia Council immediately after NATO's Warsaw Summit between July 8 and 9. The meeting has been requested by Russia, Mitov said, adding: "The dialogue is not over, a hand has been reached out."

The Foreign Minister was speaking at a hearing hosted jointly by the Foreign Policy Committee and the Defence Committee in the National Assembly. He looked at the security situation in the Black Sea and the positions which Bulgaria will be defending at the NATO Summit.

He said that after Russia's war with Georgia in 2008 and particularly after the onset of the Ukraine crisis and the annexation of Crimea, the balance in the Black Sea region was upset dramatically. At present, Russia continues to pursue a policy of confrontation, he said. According to Mitov, NATO's response has involved mainly exercises and training events aimed to ensure greater visibility while observing the restrictions of the Montreux Convention. "Bulgaria is taking active part in these response measures and it views NATO's potential actions in the Black Sea as purely defensive, proportionate and absolutely transparent," he said.

The Foreign Minister further noted: "Russia cannot be ignored as a global power. We must work together to address regional and global challenges." He believes NATO should strike a balance between deterrence and dialogue with Russia while at the same time maintaining the unity and solidarity between the Allies. "Bulgaria favours NATO's stronger presence in the Black Sea in order to deter and prevent conflicts in the region," he said.

Mitov noted that it is unnecessary to cause panic about the situation. "NATO does not need confrontation, it does not need military action," he said.

Valeri Zhablyanov (BSP-Left Bulgaria) objected that the balance in the Black Sea has not been upset and there is no tension. Mitov responded by saying: "There has been no formal recognition of growing military tension in the Black Sea, but the balance has indeed been upset." The Foreign Minister noted that the imbalance was not caused by NATO. "We cannot allow ourselves to put our national security at risk and refrain from building defence capabilities," he added.

Defence Minister Nikolay Nenchev agreed that the balance in the Black Sea has changed.