6 Feb. 2002

Bulgarian President pays visit to SHAPE On Wednesday, 6 February 2002, His Excellency Mr. Georgi PARVANOV, President of the Republic of Bulgaria, paid his initial visit to Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE). In a ceremony upon arrival, President PARVANOV was saluted by SHAPE's Honour Guard at the main entrance of the Headquarters. During the meeting with the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, General Joseph W. RALSTON, US Air Force, President PARVANOV highlighted the challenges of restructuring and reform that Bulgarian military is currently undergoing. General RALSTON highly commended the Bulgarian contribution to the NATO-led multinational peacekeeping missions in Bosnia and Kosovo. Bulgaria is among the countries that have declared an interest in joining NATO and are participating in the Membership Action Plan. The country joined the Partnership for Peace programme in February 1994 and has been a regular contributor to the NATO-led operations in the Balkans (IFOR/SFOR and KFOR) since 1997. (Source: SHAPE PIO) Additional information: Photos of the visit to SHAPE of the President of Bulgaria, Mr. Georgi Parvanov - 6 February 2002