19.03.2022
“I thank US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin for the demonstration of genuine allied support for Bulgaria and the Bulgarian Government at this critical point of time for the world.” This is what Prime Minister Kiril Petkov stated at the briefing in the Council of Ministers building after his meeting with the US Secretary of Defense and stressed that Bulgaria’s security lies in collective security with its NATO allies.
The United States will supply Bulgaria with a Stryker army company that, in the Bulgarian Prime Minister’s view, sends a strong message to all its NATO allies. He said he hopes that other states would likewise contribute their components to the Bulgarian battlegroup. While the group will be under the command of the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), we will propose that its commanding officer be a Bulgarian, Mr. Petkov said. Bulgarian military support in Ukraine was not discussed at the meeting with the US Secretary of Defense. “That’s fake news! We are working together on the eastern flank, we are working together to strengthen NATO but nothing else has been discussed on this subject,” the Prime Minister said.
Kiril Petkov and Lloyd Austin discussed military mobility, inter alia. “It is about the connection of Alexandroupolis, Bourgas, Varna and Constanţa by road, railway, energy infrastructure and a bridge across the Danube. The two governments will work to do that for logistics is just as important as military equipment if we are to have a really efficient defense along the eastern flank,” Bulgaria’s Prime Minister said further.
Kiril Petkov was firm that the fight against corruption is another common task as it impacts both national security and the eastern flank stability.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin defined the deployment of a NATO multinational battlegroup in Bulgaria as a very important step. He noted the country’s commitment to modernize defense as an example for other NATO allies. Lloyd Austin commended Bulgaria’s effort to provide humanitarian aid to Ukraine and support to the people fleeing the war. As Austin said, the Russian aggression has united the Ukrainian people just as it has united NATO and the free world. We continue to work for lasting peace and security in Europe, said US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.
