NATO Welcomes Bulgaria's Commitment to Allocate 2% of GDP to Defense

Deputy Secretary General of NATO Mircea Geoană, who is visiting Bulgaria, welcomed the commitment that the has made to allocate a minimum of 2 percent of its gross domestic product to defense costs in the coming years. This will increase security in Bulgaria and make NATO stronger, noted Mircea Geoană.

He and Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov observed the operational capabilities of the multinational battle group at the "Novo Selo" training ground.

The Deputy Secretary General of the Alliance defined Russia's actions as a "serious threat to security in the Black Sea region" and emphasized Bulgaria's contribution to improving this security:

"I am very glad that Bulgaria is working in cooperation with Romania and Turkey to counter the floating mines in the Black Sea. This is an important contribution to the wider efforts to restore security in the Black Sea. And we know that Russia will use the winter conditions as advantage on their side in the war against Ukraine. So we must continue to give the Ukrainians what they need to be strong on the battlefield and to give them a stronger position at the negotiating table."