site.btaMontenegrin, Bulgarian Defence Ministers Meet in Sofia, Discuss Cooperation

The defence ministers of Bulgaria and Montenegro, Atanas Zapryanov and Dragan Krapovic, discussed bilateral and regional cooperation in the field of defence and joint activities within NATO on Tuesday as announced by the press centre of the Ministry of Defence The meeting was held at the Ministry of Defence during a working visit by the Montenegrin Minister to Bulgaria. 

Zapryanov asserted that the traditionally high level of bilateral relations in the field of defence contributes to the achievement of new military capabilities of the Bulgarian Armed Forces and to the strengthening of regional security. It was asserted that the nation places significant value on Montenegro's involvement in NATO's Multinational Battle Group in Bulgaria, as well as its contribution to the enhancement of the deterrence and defence capabilities of the Alliance's eastern flank. 

Minister Zapryanov noted that Bulgaria remains committed to the goal of strengthening security and stability in the Western Balkans, and that it continues to make consistent contributions to that end.

The discussions centred on the execution of the resolutions adopted at the NATO summit in The Hague, with the aim of attaining the Alliance's strategic objectives, and the necessity to augment investment in capability development and the modernization of the armed forces. 

The two ministers conveyed their intention to extend the scope of collaborative endeavours within the framework of the enhanced dialogue between Bulgaria and Montenegro as allied nations. The participants engaged in discourse on the potential for the dissemination of expertise pertaining to Montenegro's trajectory towards European Union accession. Additionally, the agenda encompassed the augmentation of collaborative endeavours in the domain of military education, encompassing the collaborative training of military personnel in bilateral and international exercises. 

Later today, the Montenegrin Defence Minister is scheduled to deliver a lecture at the G. S. Rakovski Military Academy and to visit the NATO Centre for Research, Development, and Improvement of Crisis Management and Disaster Response Capabilities in Sofia.  During his visit, Krapovic is also scheduled to visit the Novo Selo Training Area, where he will meet with military personnel from the Montenegrin military contingent within the NATO Multinational Battle Group in Bulgaria.