Bulgaria is an active participant in the fight against international security challenges
09 September 2015 News
The present risks to international security are intertwining and extremely complex. Bulgaria is an active participant in the process of seeking quick, systematic and common responses to tackle the increasing challenges. With this statement Minister Daniel Mitov addressed the participants at the international conference "The Role of NATO and EU in the wider Black Sea Region." The event is organized by Sofia Security Forum in cooperation with Martens Centre and Konrad Adenauer Stiftung.
In his statement, Minister Mitov addressed the main challenges resulting from the crisis in the Middle East and North Africa, as well as the risks posed by the situation in Ukraine and Russia's actions. “During the last year we have witnessed the deepening and widening of the array of security risks. The crisis in the Middle East and the he persistent influence of the so-called ‘Islamic state’ put not only Bulgaria but also the entire European continent in a new situation,"said Minister Mitov. He pointed out that the current refugee and immigrant crisis is undoubtedly one of the biggest challenges in decades, which requires both a change in our set of instruments for reaction and changes in the policies of the EU and NATO.
“From just an ‘external border’ of the EU we are truly becoming a ‘first line of contact’. It is time for a new ‘re-balancing’, one towards our common institutions and political communities and towards the regions which are closest to us and upon which our freedom, security and prosperity depend most,” Minister Mitov said. He emphasized on the need to further Europeanize the refugee policy and to ensure more systemic and institutional support for the external border member states. “Without strengthening our common capabilities for response and governance of the new risks, the West will not be in position to guarantee successfully its future,” he added.
The Foreign Minister focused also on the priority importance of the Black Sea Region for Bulgaria. “The region is important not just for those countries within but for the wider more general European and Trans-Atlantic context,” Minister Mitov said. According to him the region can continue its development only on the basis of full recognition and respect for the right of every state to freely choose in which economic and political communities to belong and the preservation of its territorial integrity.“We will respond positively to every opportunity for reducing tensions in the region and for the quick resumption of fruitful cooperation with all states within it,” Minister Mitov said.
For his part, the Head of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation Office in Bulgaria, Dr. Marco Arndt said that Bulgaria is a stabilizing factor in the region thanks to its clear stand on the current international issues. "The challenges facing the Black Sea region can also be a chance for the West to grow closer together," added Roland Freudenstein, Deputy Director and Head of Research of the Wilfried Martens Centre.
More photos
