Bulgaria's membership in NATO provided guarantees for our security, stability and prosperity. Our armed forces have gone through a spectacular path of development and transformation to see them as they are today and to look into the future as planned under our development plans and to build collective defense capabilities.“
This is what Defense Minister Atanas Zapryanov said today, May 21, at the opening of the photographic exhibition dedicated to the 20th anniversary of Bulgaria's membership in NATO, the ministry's press center reported, as quoted by FOCUS. >
The event was attended by the Chief of Defense Admiral Emil Eftimov, Deputy Ministers of Defense Radostin Iliev and Adelina Nikolova, senior officers of the Armed Forces and representatives of the Ministry of Defense.
"The photos capture important moments of the multinational exercises, which are the backbone of the integration of our Armed Forces in the process of preparation for full membership. We have the opportunity to see the stages of the development of the Bulgarian Army as a member of NATO during these 20 years, the main moments of the participation in NATO operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina”, the Minister of Defense pointed out.
He thanked the authors of the photographic works - Vyara Joveva, photographer of the Ministry of Defense, Captain Maria Krashevska from the Joint Forces Command, Captain Ivan Donchev from the Air Force, Ivan Katsarov from the Navy, Sonya Kolchakova from the Military Medical Academy, Krasimir Todorov, photographer of the "Bulgarian Army" newspaper; and Ognyan Stefanov, a long-time photographer for the Air Force, who captured with their lenses events from the 20-year path of development of the Bulgarian Armed Forces as part of the collective defense system.
The photographic exhibition is included in the National Program with initiatives to mark the 20th anniversary of the membership of the Republic of Bulgaria in NATO and the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
Residents and guests of the capital will have the opportunity to see the exhibition until June 4, 2024.