Deputy Prime Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva met with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg
17 May 2017 News
Deputy Prime Minister for Judicial Reform and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ekaterina Zaharieva met in Brussels with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on May 16th, 2017.
Attending their talks at the North Atlantic Treaty HQ were also Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller, and Assistant Secretary General Alejandro Alvargonzález , as well as Deputy Foreign Minister of Bulgaria Emilia Kraleva and Bulgaria’s Permanent Representative to NATO Ivan Naidenov.
Both sides discussed the preparation and the expected results of the Meeting of NATO Heads of State and Government scheduled to be held in Brussels on May 25. They expressed their confidence that the meeting would reconfirm the importance of the Transatlantic link, the unity and solidarity among allies, their shared values and mutual support , and that this would be reflected in a fairer re-distribution of burdens, including financial ones, within the North Atlantic Organisation.
Secretary General Stoltenberg expressed his gratitude for the contribution of Bulgaria to the Alliance’s missions, operations and initiatives, specifically mentioning Afghanistan, Kosovo and Ukraine. Stoltenberg pointed out that our country is a highly valued ally, and familiarised Zaharieva with the agenda for the upcoming meeting of NATO leaders in Brussels on May 25.
Deputy Prime Minister Zaharieva stated that there is consensus in Bulgaria among the institutions with respect to the country’s intent to live up to the commitment it undertook in Wales to gradually increase its defence spending.
Stoltenberg and Zaharieva were unanimous that NATO must become more visible to members of the public for its contribution to counterterrorism. The Foreign Minister informed her host that the official position of Bulgaria for the May 25 meeting would be adopted tomorrow at a meeting of the Council of Ministers.
That meeting is also slated to discuss other matters of NATO’s future work, which would give people confidence by reiterating the capability and readiness of NATO to respond to any security challenges, present and future.
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