Bulgaria must participate much more actively in European defense and security projects, said President Iliana Yotova during a conference dedicated to security and cooperation in Southeast Europe. She also emphasized the need to build a new security center in the Black Sea.
The event is being held in connection with the Bulgarian chairmanship of the "Southeast European Cooperation Process" (SEEPE) and the summit in Sofia this Wednesday, BNT reports.
The head of state emphasized the key role of the Black Sea as one of the most important points on the global security map in the world.
Iliyana Yotova, President of the Republic of Bulgaria: "The war in Ukraine has shown that this region can no longer be considered only as a periphery of European security. Freedom of navigation in it is a foundation of international law. But whether this foundation has been doing well lately - everyone can answer for themselves."
As a NATO member state and a Black Sea country, strengthening maritime security is an obvious strategic priority, the president also emphasized.
"Together with Romania and the European External Action Service, with the EC, we are developing the concept of creating a maritime security center in the Black Sea."
The main focus of the center will be the protection of maritime infrastructure, countering hybrid attacks and countering disasters and environmental crises. And of particular importance is the participation of partners from Ukraine, Moldova, Turkey and Georgia.
Iliyana Yotova, President of the Republic of Bulgaria: "The need for such a center has become apparent in recent days in the incident with the drones, which fortunately did not reach our territory, and the Ministry of Defense reacted promptly."
Yotova, however, is a categorical opponent of the Black Sea being viewed only as a militarized zone, and not as a geographical asset with a huge role for tourism and trade.
As an important priority for our country, she highlighted the participation together with NATO countries in the development of new generation weapons systems, and in this process we will be a real center for innovative developments.