Defense Minister Atanas Zapryanov participated in the regular meeting of defense ministers of NATO member states, which was held today, June 5, in Brussels, Kingdom of Belgium.
The meeting was dedicated to the preparation of the upcoming NATO summit, which will be held on June 24 and 25 this year in The Hague, Netherlands. Against the backdrop of an increasingly complex security environment, ministers took important decisions to transform the Alliance into a stronger alliance, with more deterrence and defence capabilities and a rebalancing of the burdens and responsibilities for collective defence.
Defence ministers approved the new ambitious Capability Goals 2025 package, which sets much higher demands on the armed forces of member states. The package includes requirements for resources, forces and capabilities that each Ally must build in order to be able to respond to significantly increased threats, within the framework of collective defence. The implementation of these goals requires an urgent approach and requires a significant increase in defence spending, as well as an increase in industrial capacity.
In this regard, ministers agreed in principle on the urgent need to increase investment in defence, as well as in defence-related areas such as resilience, infrastructure, defence industry, etc. A key priority for the meeting in The Hague will be the adoption of a new Defence Investment Plan.
Minister Atanas Zapryanov placed strong emphasis on the new Capability Goals, the need for technological progress and increasing the capacity of defence industrial production. “Bulgaria will integrate the new set of Goals into national defence planning. We plan to conduct a strategic review of the armed forces in order to identify the necessary changes that we need to implement“, the Minister of Defence indicated. He stressed the direct link between increasing defence investment and increasing defence capabilities. “Increasing these investments is a necessary condition for achieving the Capability Goals and ensuring the implementation of defence plans, both national and collective defence“, said Minister Zapryanov. He also noted the need to strengthen NATO's deterrent and defensive potential in the Black Sea.
At the working meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council, which was attended by the Minister of Defense of Ukraine Rustem Umerov and the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaya Kallas, the ministers discussed the need for continued support for Ukraine and the prospects for achieving a lasting and just peace.
Within the framework of the forum, Minister Atanas Zapryanov held a trilateral meeting with the Ministers of Defense of Turkey and Romania, at which issues related to military cooperation, as well as current topics on the Alliance's agenda, were discussed. The ministers united in their view of the need to create a consultative political format at the level of defense ministers, in which issues of mutual interest in the field of security in the Black Sea region, including the activities of the Naval Mine Countermeasures Group (MCM Black Sea).
Minister of Defense Atanas Zapryanov also participated in the working meeting of the Contact Group for Ukraine in the field of defense held on June 4, 2025. He confirmed our country's commitment to the efforts of the international community to continue supporting Ukraine. Minister Zapryanov welcomed the efforts of the new US administration to find a peaceful solution to the conflict.