Statement
by His Excellency
Mr. Boyko Noev
Minister of Defence of the Republic of Bulgaria
Mr. Secretary General,
Dear Colleagues,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Bulgaria has been following with legitimate concern the recent developments
in and around Kosovo and condemns the outbreak of violence caused by extremist
forces. We welcome the concrete measures undertaken by NATO and the Commander
KFOR to enhance security on the boundary with Southern Serbia. We anticipate
an indefinite extension of the cease-fire facilitated by KFOR. Constraint
and strict compliance with UNSC Resolution 1244 and the Military-Technical
Agreement on part of the FRY and Serbian authorities is also essential,
and we welcome President Kostunica's assurances that VJ forces will not
be deployed into the Ground Safety Zone.
Within its consistent policy throughout the Kosovo crisis and its aftermath,
the Bulgarian Government is contributing actively to the efforts of the
international community aimed at lasting peace and security in Kosovo.
I would like to inform you that we are considering possibilities to further
enhance Bulgaria's contribution to KFOR.
We welcome the start of a democratic transition in FRY and the choice
of the people of Yugoslavia to become part of the Euro-Atlantic family
of values. We look forward to active cooperation of the new Yugoslav authorities
with the international community, in particular on the implementation
of the Dayton Peace Agreement and the UNSC Resolution 1244. Such cooperation
would facilitate the democratic reform itself. Full respect of constitutional
rights of national, ethnic and religious minorities and the recognition
of the principle of equality of all successor states to the former Yugoslavia
are important factors for regional security and stability and for developing
good-neighbourly relations. Bulgaria will continue to support and assist
the democratic transition in FRY.
These long-awaited encouraging developments have opened new prospects
for regional stability and cooperation. The international community, with
the active participation of the countries of the region, should explore
the emerging opportunities and clearly define its responsibilities. The
North Atlantic Alliance and its close involvement with regional security
and stability is and will remain a key factor in this process.
We welcome the successful unfolding of NATO's South East Europe Initiative
and its contribution to the objectives of the Stability Pact. Within its
efforts to act as a de facto Ally and to consolidate its role of a major
contributor to regional stability and cooperation, earlier in the year
Bulgaria initiated and undertook the task to coordinate the establishment
of a South East Europe Security Cooperation Steering Group, or SEEGROUP.
Today I have the pleasure to report to my EAPC colleagues that the SEEGROUP
has been successfully established and its work is well on track. The group
has adopted an ambitious but realistic Action Plan and we look forward
to early practical achievements. I have circulated a separate report by
the Bulgarian Chairmanship on the establishment of the SEEGROUP and progress
achieved. I am also glad that the Progress Report on the SEEI has highlighted
the need for continued support for the SEEGROUP and its Action Plan, and
I would like to extend our best wishes for success to the incoming Croatian
Chairmanship.
Regional initiatives and security cooperation are important and supportive
of the Euro-Atlantic integration but they cannot be a substitute for full
accession to the Alliance. We are approaching the moment when the Allies
will have to start deliberations and consultation on the expected important
decisions on new invitations. This will be a challenging process for both
Allies and aspirant countries, and it should be pursued with utmost responsibility,
effective management and necessary financial, human and information resources.
Performance within MAP will be a very important part of the overall assessment
and an indication and evidence of our ability to understand and undertake
the measures necessary to make Bulgaria a better candidate for membership.
Bulgaria hosted a NATO Aspirant Countries Defence Ministerial meeting
on 12-13 October this year where the aspirants shared their experience
in the MAP implementation, national defence restructuring and reform management.
All aspirant counties agreed to coordinate their efforts to achieve membership
in the Alliance and outlined measures for cooperation in the fields of
common interest, such as possible contribution to the collective security
and defence within NATO, implementation of the DCI in order to meet new
tasks, including crisis response operations, military-technical cooperation
and defence industrial issues.
Within the context of steady implementation of the Training and Education
Enhancement Programme (TEEP), Bulgaria will host a workshop next week
and intends to establish a Distance Learning and Simulation Exercise Centre
as part of the PfP Simulation Network, in addition to our participation
in the PfP Consortium of Defence Academies and Security Study Institutes.
The work on integrating the OCC into the TOPFAS should be complemented
by an assessment and feedback module. We are fully aware of the requirements
concerning the involvement of the Bulgarian Armed Forces in the process
of assessment of the declared forces and assets and are planning the financial
resources in order to implement the inspection activities. For the assessment
and individual certification we have made available forces and assets
of the Services and MPFSEE formations.
Mr Chairman,
As a Partner and Aspirant country, Bulgaria works consistently for the
expansion of the cooperation both in SEE and in the frame of PfP. Our
common efforts will be a contribution for stability and integration of
the region in the European and Euro-Atlantic security structures. We welcome
the results achieved within the Enhanced and More Operational Partnership
and stand by all documents to be endorsed or noted today.
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