Minister Dimitar Stoyanov will participate in the informal meeting of EU defense ministers, which will be held in Nicosia.
The forum is being held within the framework of the Cypriot presidency of the Council of the European Union and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaya Kallas, will also participate in it. The focus of the meeting will be the EU's support for Ukraine in the field of defense, as well as the European Security Strategy.
The informal council will discuss key priorities of the Common Security and Defense Policy, existing and emerging security challenges, defense preparedness and the coordination of European efforts for it, the Cypriot EU presidency announced.
In the discussion on Ukraine, the ministers will place special emphasis on the mobilization of funds from the European Peace Facility for military support to Kiev.
Among the main issues of the maritime security session will be the freedom of navigation in light of the latest developments in the conflict in the Middle East, as well as the ongoing European efforts to counter the Russian shadow fleet.
The agenda of the meeting in Nicosia also includes an exchange of views on the European Security Strategy in the context of the changing global environment.
The Cypriot EU presidency has placed security and defense readiness as the first of five main priorities in its program, the goal of which is to achieve EU autonomy.
President Iliana Yotova will participate in a conference on the topic of "Towards Shared Regional Security for Peace, Stability and Cooperation in the Balkans and the Black Sea", the press office of the head of state announced.
The conference is organized by the "Friedrich Ebert" Foundation and the Institute for Economics and International Relations. The event is being held in conjunction with the Bulgarian chairmanship of the South East European Cooperation Process (SEECP).
The discussion during the conference, dedicated to regional security in the Balkans and the Black Sea, will address the need to strengthen Europe's defense preparedness by 2030 and accelerate work on a comprehensive analysis of threats to the European Union. The event is being held in conjunction with the Bulgarian chairmanship of the South East European Cooperation Process.
On June 10, 2026, the Head of State Iliana Yotova will host the Summit of the Process, when the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the initiative will be celebrated. It is a basic political format for building trust, cooperation and good neighborly relations between the participants.
The initiative was launched in Sofia at the Meeting of Foreign Ministers of the countries of South-Eastern Europe on July 6-7, 1996. Within its framework, the Sofia Declaration on Good Neighborly Relations, Stability, Security and Cooperation in the Balkans was adopted.
On 01.07.2025, Bulgaria assumed the chairmanship of the Process for the fourth time, and according to its Charter, it is carried out on a rotational basis for a one-year period. The next Bulgarian chairmanship will end on June 30.