Ekaterina Zaharieva and Clarke Cooper, US Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs, Discussed Deepening of Cooperation between the Two States
20 October 2020 News
The strategic partnership between Bulgaria and the USA and the deepening of cooperation in areas of mutual interest were among the key topics at the meeting between the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ekaterina Zaharieva and Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs Clarke Cooper during his visit in this country. The possibilities in the bilateral connections in the area of security, including questions related to 5G networks were discussed.
The two diplomats stressed that the partnership between the two states should be promoted not just bilaterally but in the framework of NATO as well. They were unanimous that strengthening NATO’s presence in the Black Sea region was paramount. Ekaterina Zaharieva reiterated the proposal of Bulgaria for the creation of a Marine Coordination Centre in Varna to serve as regional coordination centre of the Alliance.
During the meeting topical issues of the international agenda were discussed – the situation in Belarus and the Eastern Mediterranean, the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, the European perspective of the Western Balkan countries.
„We keep up our solidarity with the people of Belarus and support the demands of the civil society for democracy,“ stated Zaharieva. She expressed hope that the conflicts be resolved by diplomatic means with the intermediation of the international community. On the countries from the Western Balkans, the Deputy Prime Minister highlighted that Bulgaria was among the most consistent supporters of the European perspective of the region, yet this support was not unconditional. For us good neighbourly relations are a key prerequisite vis-à-vis their aspirations for integration.
Clarke Cooper since May 2, 2019 is Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs. Before that he served as the Director of Intelligence Planning for Joint Special Operations Command’s Joint Inter-Agency Task Force. He has in excess of 20 years of experience in the diplomatic service and the army of the USA.
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