Nato chief Rutte thanks Bulgaria: ‘Immense contribution to shared security’
Visiting Bulgaria on December 19 for the first time as Nato Secretary General, Mark Rutte expressed his thanks to the country for what he called its immense contribution to shared security.
Rutte, who took office as Nato chief on October 1 2024, visited the Nato Multinational Battle Group Bulgaria at the Novo Selo Range Army Base, accompanied by Bulgaria’s caretaker Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov, caretaker Foreign Minister Ivan Kondov and Defence Chief Admiral Emil Evtimov.
At a media briefing, Rutte said that Bulgaria was helping Ukraine against Russian aggression, so that Ukraine could proceed at its own initiative and from a position of strength to eventual peace talks with Russia.
Asked about Bulgaria not having proceeded to sign an intended security agreement with Ukraine, Rutte said that there was no obligation for members of the Nato Alliance to have such bilateral security agreements with Ukraine.
There are countries that have signed such agreements, others have not, but the important thing is that Bulgaria provides a lot of military assistance to Kyiv, Rutte said.
What was more important than such an agreement was military aid, such as air and other defence systems, to Ukraine, and in this regard, Bulgaria was doing a lot, he said.
Rutte said that Bulgaria was playing a key role in the security of the Black Sea region and beyond.
The multinational battle group was working towards expanding to a brigade that will support Nato’s security on the eastern flank, he said.
Bulgaria was supporting Nato security on the Alliance’s eastern flank and sending a clear message that the Alliance would defend its nations together.
He praised Bulgaria for spending at least two per cent, if not more, of its GDP on defence.
Rutte urged the Alliance’s member states to keep defence spending “as high as possible”.
“I call on all Allies to step up and spend more and produce more on defence and production,” he said.
Zapryanov said: “Bulgaria cannot defend its territory with its own forces, which is why it is a member of Nato and relies on collective defence and contributes to it. To do this, we must have modern armed forces, well-equipped, with personnel”.
He said he agreed with Rutte that it is necessary to increase defence spending beyond two per cent of GDP.
“This is necessary if we want a full-fledged Bulgarian army with available personnel and modern equipment. The increase in the salaries of military personnel from next year is absolutely necessary and I appeal to the Bulgarian Parliament to support its budget in its entirety,” Zapryanov said.
Rutte’s one-day visit did not include a meeting with President Roumen Radev, who as head of state is commander-in-chief of Bulgaria’s armed forces. Radev did not attend this year’s Nato Summit in Washington DC, and did not attend the Nato Parliamentary Assembly meeting in Bulgaria’s capital city Sofia in May 2024.
However, the President’s media office said that Radev spoke by phone with Rutte on December 19.
“During the conversation, the challenges related to the complicated security environment in Eastern Europe and the need to strengthen the defence capabilities of the Alliance member states in the region were discussed. The head of state emphasised the actions taken by Bulgaria to modernise the Armed Forces and indicated that he expects the Bulgarian National Assembly and the government to continue to support this process,” the statement said.
Rutte also did not meet caretaker Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev, who however was in Brussels on December 19 for a European Council meeting, where Glavchev did not sign the security agreement with Ukraine – leaving that, against the background of a political debacle which he played a key role in causing, for a future government.
Please support The Sofia Globe’s independent journalism by clicking on the orange button below. For as little as three euro a month or the equivalent in other currencies, you can support The Sofia Globe via patreon.com:
