On his first visit to Brussels as Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairsin the caretaker government, Marin Raykov held talkson 27^th March 2013with NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen.

The Prime Minister briefed him on the political developments in Bulgaria, on the priorities and objectives of hisgovernment and emphasised the continuity in Bulgaria’s foreign policy in the European and Euro-Atlantic context.

During the meeting were exchanged views on the current NATO’s political agenda.The Prime Minister expressed the position thatBulgaria will continue to support the Open Doors policy of the Alliance and the aspirations for NATO membership of the countries of the Western Balkans and Georgia. He added that Bulgaria stands firmly behind the candidacy of Macedonia for accession to the Euro-Atlantic family, given that the two countries share a common historical memory. “We always have worked for the accession of the Republic of Macedonia, but it is also essential for political will on its part to be shown along with goodwill towards its neighbours”.

Discussing NATO’s defence agenda Mr. Raykov reaffirmed Bulgaria’s commitments   to the Alliance’s collective security and its operations.

The Prime Minister stressed the country’s full engagement with the continued transformation of the Alliance and pointed out the importance of capabilities development.  He also reaffirmed Bulgaria’s strong interest in development of strategic infrastructure in the Alliance in support of collective deployability.

 The country’s participation in the mission in Afghanistan wasalsodiscussed, as well as the possibility of Bulgaria continuing to participate in training missions after the end of 2014. Prime Minister Raykov expressed readiness, that it would be possible in the framework of about 100 expert personnel.

The Secretary General commended Bulgaria for its contributions to Allied missions in Afghanistan and Kosovo. “Bulgaria is an important NATO Ally and a pillar of our security in southeast Europe. We thank you for your firm support and we thank your troops for their courage and professionalism”, said Anders Fogh Rasmussen. On the Western Balkans, he thanked Bulgaria for its strong support of the integration of the region into the wider Euro-Atlantic community. “The most effective way to bring lasting stability is to actively support Euro-Atlantic aspirations in this region and I know that Bulgaria is a strong champion of this vision,” he said.