News Archive for 2011

Today, December 8th, with an official ceremony in Beijing, Mr Anu Anguelov, Minister of Defence of the Republic of Bulgaria, and Gen. Liang Guanglie, Minister of National Defence and State Councillor of the People’s Republic of China, signed a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at the further enhancement of the cooperation between the Republic of Bulgaria and the People’s Republic of China in the field of defence. Minister Anguelov was received at the central building of the Ministry of National Defence, August 1st, with an official welcoming ceremony and a Guard of Honour.

The Memorandum thus signed by the two senior officials reaffirms the good relations between the two countries in the field of defence and outlines the priority guidelines for development of the cooperation: military training and education and exchange of trainees and trainers; military-technical and military-economic cooperation and technology transfer; exchange of experience related to peacekeeping operations, counter terrorist activities, and training and preparation of Special Operations Forces, disasters and emergencies, and naval activities.

“The Memorandum provides a horizon for the even more practical and beneficial cooperation between the two countries in the field of defence, and will contribute to the enhancement of the long-lasting tradition of good relations between the two armies,” said Minister Anguelov with regard to the signature of the document. He dubbed the People’s Republic of China a key partner in Asia in the field of defence. On his part, Gen. Liang Guanglie expressed his satisfaction with the status of the bilateral relations, as well as with the intensive dialogue at the strategic, the political and the military levels. The two Ministers agreed that the existing forms of cooperation, such as dialogue, exchange of personnel in the field of military education and training, and goodwill delegations, should be consolidated and strengthened. The exchange of experience regarding actions in the event of disasters and emergencies, coping with non-traditional threats, and counter-terrorism were determined as priority areas.

Earlier today, Minister Anguelov visited the College of Defence Studies with the National Defence University, where Bulgarian military students are receiving their education by virtue of agreement between the two countries. He had a talk with Senior Colonel Guo, Deputy Principal of CDS NDU, and had a tour around the College facilities. “We will continue sending Bulgarian officers, as this practice contributes not only to the improvement of knowledge and skills, but also to the building of greater mutual trust,” said Minister Anguelov. Since 2003, twelve Bulgarian officers have received education at CDS NDU.

The official visit paid to the People’s Republic of China by Minister Anguelov and the delegation headed by him started from China’s ancient capital Xi’an. On the first day of his visit, Minister Anguelov had a talk with Major General Guo, Commander of the Shanxi Military Region. The two officials exchanged opinions on the status and prospects lying ahead of the Armed Forces of the two countries. Major General Guo familiarized Minister Anguelov with the main characteristics and the importance of the Shanxi Province and emphasized the good ties with Bulgaria. Minister Anguelov explained that it is a priority for both countries to preserve and uphold the good relations. He visited the Museum of History in Xi’an and the Terracotta Army exhibition.

“I greatly appreciate the participation of the Bulgarian Army in Operation ALTHEA in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” said General Håkan Syrén, Chairman of the Military Committee of the European Union (EUMC), today, December 8th. General Syrén is in Bulgaria on a two-day visit on an invitation by General Simeon Simeonov.

The two high-ranking military officials discussed the Pooling and Sharing initiative and the key role it plays in the development of cutting-edge multinational capabilities of the EU aimed at crisis management, as well as the Bulgarian contribution to the initiative.

General Syrén was also brought up to date with the process of transformation going on in the Bulgarian Armed Forces and with the participation of Bulgarian contingents in EU-led missions and operations. Another issue that Chief of Defence General Simeon Simeonov and his guest discussed was the EU Strategic Framework on the Horn of Africa.

Later today General Syrén had a meeting with Deputy Defence Minister Valentin Radev. Deputy Minister Radev presented General Håkan Syrén with the Medal of Honour of the Ministry of Defence Saint George, 1st Class, for his contribution to the establishment and development of the European Union’s Common Security and Defence Policy.

Georgi Parvanov, President and Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Bulgaria, has awarded promotions to senior military ranks to Bulgarian Army Officers.
By virtue of Presidential Decree, the Head of State relieved Rear Admiral Plamen Manushev of duty as Navy Commander and appointed him Deputy Chief of Defence. The latter was awarded the senior officer rank of Vice Admiral. Commodore Rumen Nikolov was relieved of duty as Navy Deputy Commander. He was appointed Navy Commander and was awarded the senior officer rank of Rear Admiral. Captain (Navy) Mitko Petev was appointed Commander of Burgas Naval Base and was awarded the senior officer rank of Commodore. The Director of the Military Police Service Colonel Dancho Dyakov was awarded the senior officer rank of Brigadier General.

President Georgi Parvanov bestowed the Medal for Military Service First Class on Vice Admiral Minko Kavaldzhiev. The insignia of honour was awarded for excellent long service, contribution to the development and strengthening of the Bulgarian Army and meritorious service to the country’s defence. Vice Admiral Minko Kavaldzhiev expressed his gratitude for the high recognition he received for his 35-year-long military service. He showed hope that the institutions will do what it takes to develop and strengthen Bulgaria’s defence capability in the hard times we live in.
On behalf of the officers awarded senior military ranks, Vice Admiral Plamen Manushev asserted that the Bulgarian commanding officers were grateful for the trust thus placed in them and took this to be an act of recognition for the hard work and effort of the thousands of Bulgarian men and women, wearing the seaman’s and the military policeman’s uniform. Vice Admiral Manushev also said that in spite of the hard times and budget constraints, Bulgarian officers will do what it takes to sharpen the defence capabilities of the country, to strengthen the cooperation with our NATO partners, and to raise the authority of the Bulgarian Army.

The official ceremony was also attended by Defence Minister Anu Anguelov, Deputy Defence Minister Valentin Radev, Defence Chief General Simeon Simeonov, Permanent Undersecretary of Defence Nikolay Milkov, Deputy Chief of Defence Maj. Gen. Yordan Yordanov, Joint Forces Commander Lt. Gen. Atanas Samandov, Air Force Commander Maj. Gen. Konstantin Popov, Land Forces Deputy Commander Brig. Gen. Andrey Botsev, and friends and relations of the newly promoted senior officers.

“The strength of the Bulgarian contingent in Afghanistan will be reduced by three quarters by the end of 2014,” announced Defence Minister Anu Anguelov in connection with the Strategy for the Transformation of the Participation of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Bulgaria in the Operation of NATO-Led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), which was adopted earlier today by the Council of Ministers.

Minister Anguelov explained for the journalists that the implementation of the Strategy will be carried out in two phases.

The first phase, covering the period up to 2014, envisages reducing the participation of Bulgarian servicemen in three stages: by the end of 2012, the participation of the two Bulgarian medical teams in the Herat Hospital will be discontinued; in the beginning of 2013, the company guarding Kabul Airport will be withdrawn; and by the end of 2014, the company guarding Kandahar Airport will also be withdrawn.

The second phase, covering the period starting from 2014, envisages participation in the process of education and training of the Afghan National Security Forces through the Operational Mentor and Liaison Teams (OMLTs).

“We do not envisage deploying a battalion group to Afghanistan,” Minister Anguelov pointed out in reply to a journalist’s question, and clarified that the certification of the first out of a total of six battalion battle groups, which is to take place by the end of 2012, will mark the end of the first phase of the modernization of the Land Forces, in accordance with the Investment Plan up to 2020.

Minister Anguelov also made it known that today the Council of Minister adopted the draft Law on the Reserve of the Armed Forces, which regulates the activities of the reserve, as well as the activities regarding the training of the Bulgarian citizens aimed at protecting the fatherland. The recruitment of reservists will begin gradually in 2012, with a starting number of 300-350 men and women. They will compensate for the military personnel discharged due to the restructuring of a number of military units, which is scheduled for next year. The system of the reserve thus proposed will ensure availability of quality resource for the military formations in peace- and war-time, and will allow for the maintenance of capabilities of our Armed Forces that are adequate to the threats in the context of limited funds.

In answer to a journalist’s question on the idea of military personnel paying up their medical insurance and social security on their own, Minister Anguelov said he was ready and willing to seek a solution, which will be arrived at by the working group appointed.

“We will provide the financial information as needed, with regard to what it will cost us if the military become responsible for the part of medical insurance and social security so far covered by the state. We will be very careful with compensations. Such a step may be taken, with the prospect of it remaining in effect for many years to come, but in return we will have to award a one-time salary increase in order to offset the resulting decrease in payment,” Minister Anguelov said. He added that his view was consistent with the proposals put forward by the Employers’ Association and with the opinions voiced so far by some of his colleagues in the Cabinet.

Minister Anguelov also reminded that currently the amount of medical insurance and social security of the Ministry of Defence’s military personnel and civil servants is included in the Wages Fund of the MoD and is approximately 40 million leva.

Today, November 21st, Deputy Minister of Defence Avgustina Tzvetkova opened the 2nd International Workshop on Multi-National Cooperation on Civil-Military Interoperability, held at the “G. S. Rakovski” National Defence Staff College in Sofia. The two-day forum was hosted by the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Bulgaria and the NATO Consultation, Command and Control Agency (NC3A).

“The Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Bulgaria, together with its NATO Allies, is seeking to meet the emerging security challenges by applying the comprehensive approach and the Smart Defence concept. We have been working persistently towards improving the national defence system and extending the scope Bulgaria’s contribution to collective defence and security in the Euro-Atlantic area,” said Deputy Defence Minister Avgustina Tzvetkova during her opening speech.

“Hosting the 2nd International Workshop, we are pursuing our common goal to establish multi-national cooperation in the civil-military sphere, identifying and analysing the most critical problems and proposing solutions for them. A serious national challenge is our ambition to set up a Centre of Excellence on studying, building and developing NATO capabilities in support of Crisis Management and Disaster Relief (CM&DR),” Defence Minister Tzvetkova pointed out, adding that the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Bulgaria backs the civil-military cooperation initiatives of the NATO Agency because NC3A has a vast experience in efforts on implementing crisis response measures.

Among the topics to be discussed during the discussions are the multi-national cooperation aimed at improving interoperability, the exchange of information during crisis management activities, and the decision-making process.

The International Workshop will be attended by representatives of NC3A and of the Defence Ministries of NATO Member States, as well as by experts from leading companies operating in the field of Information Technology.

Joint statement by the Bulgarian Foreign and Defence Ministers

On October 28th , the North Atlantic Council decided to end operation Unified Protector as of October 31st. NATO's Operation, undertaken with the support and participation of countries from the region and partners across the globe was decisive in saving many human lives, and creating the conditions for the Libyan people to be able to take control of their own future.

"160 servicemen and women from the Bulgarian Navy took part in a key element of the Operation. They served tirelessly and with great professionalism, along their allies, off the coasts of Libya" said Minister of Defence Anu Anguelov. Bulgaria participated in NATO's naval effort by sending a frigate which was part of enforcing the naval blockade on Gaddafi's regime for a month in May of this year. "Bulgaria also contributed five naval officers to the command operations of Unified Protector. They will continue to serve until all procedures are finalized and completed" added Minister Anguelov.

"Six months after it was launched NATO's operation has achieved all its goals. The Alliance's actions were quick, decisive and in partnership with many non-member countries. I want to particularly welcome the efforts of our Arab partners who were crucial in our joint efforts. The goal of the international community remains to support the efforts of the Libyan people to create a modern, unified and free Libya in which human rights are observed. The first step in this process must be national reconciliation, which would be helped if key members of Gaddafi's regime were put on trial for their crimes against the Libyan people. Bulgaria will continue to insist that the truth about the political process against the Bulgarian nurses be revealed. The open dealing with the past is a key for the democratization of Libya" concluded Foreign Minister Nickolay Mladenov. 

A conference on the specifications of the computer-assisted exercise of the countries from South Eastern Europe SEESIM 12 is being held in the Boyana Residence. The forum enjoys the participation of over 90 Bulgarian and foreign military and civilian experts in the field of defence. The exercise will take place in Bulgaria in 2012.

Computer-assisted exercises SEESIM (South Eastern Europe Simulation) are part of the initiative of the Ministers of Defence of South Eastern Europe (the SEDM Initiative). They have a two-year preparation cycle, and so far, a total of five such exercises have been held. Bulgaria hosted SEESIM in 2008.

Deputy Minister of Defence Avgustina Tzvetkova delivered a welcoming address for the participants in the conference today, October 11th. She emphasized that the SEESIM exercises under the SEDM initiative are of key importance to the unification of standards in the participating countries with regard to combating humanitarian crises and delivering aid to population in distress in disaster and emergency situations.

The main purpose of SEESIM exercises is to establish and test a system of interrelations and procedures between countries from the region, aimed at facilitating and speeding up the process of requesting and delivering aid in case of natural calamities and other humanitarian disasters.

The countries participating in these exercises are the SEDM Member States, the USA, Sweden, and the observer countries Georgia and Moldova. Some additional structures will take part in the exercise in 2012, among which NATO structures, ACT, JWC, JFTC and NC3A; governmental agencies; and non-governmental organizations. The experiment part of the exercise envisages testing the capacity of the latest advancements in information technology for enhancement of the effectiveness of the training and preparation of civil and military structures from the region with regard to participation in operations on non-military crisis relief, as well as Bulgaria’s proposal for the establishment of a network for training and exercises in South Eastern Europe.

The leader of the group on the preparation and conduct of the exercise in Bulgaria is Brig. Gen. Marin Nachev, Director for Operations and Training.

Tomorrow, October 12th, the Chief of Defence General Simeon Simeonov will attend the Distinguished Visitors Day of a Special Forces Exercise at the Joint Multinational Readiness Centre in Hohenfels, Germany.

General Simeonov will attend a demonstration in which Bulgarian and US military personnel will perform a wide spectrum of mission readiness tasks.

The exercise is being held in implementation of the Plan for Joint Bulgarian-US Training for 2011.

The first Panther helicopter was formally delivered and introduced into service with the Bulgarian Navy. The formal delivery ceremony was held at Chayka Naval Helicopter Air Base, Varna, today, October 9th.

In his address at the ceremony, Rear Admiral Plamen Manushev, Navy Commander, thanked Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, Defence Minister Anu Anguelov and the Government for the funds allocated for the needs of the Navy. “For the first time since I have been serving, the Bulgarian Navy has received the best of equipment available in the world,” he pointed out.

Prime Minister Boyko Borisov claimed that Bulgarian servicemen deserve the best, and emphasised that the helicopter is an important acquisition with regard to the security of Bulgarian Schengen border.

At the ceremony, Minister Anguelov congratulated the Air Base personnel on the acquisition of the new aircraft and underlined that the Panthers may also be used by other government agencies and ministries, as they are well-equipped and capable of performing various tasks in peace- and war-time environments, and in various situations of crisis, accidents, and emergency.

The helicopter is capable of covering a vast array of naval missions such as offshore patrolling and maritime surveillance, search and rescue (SAR), medical evacuation (MEDEVAC), supplying and lifting loads to and from ship decks or hard-to-access terrain (vertical replenishment – VERTREP), counter-terrorism, humanitarian operations, counter-piracy, etc. The Panther helicopter has an all weather day-and-night capability. Some of the missions it can perform were demonstrated in a spectacular demonstration flight of the helicopter after it was formally introduced into service with the Navy and was inaugurated for service in a religious ceremony led by His Grace Metropolitan Cyril of Varna and Velicky Preslav.

The ceremony was also attended by the Minister of Transport, Information Technology and Communications Ivaylo Moskovski, Deputy Minister of Defence Valentin Radev, Deputy Chief of Defence Vice Admiral Minko Kavaldzhiev, Varna District Governor Dancho Simeonov, Members of Parliament, senior military representatives of the local authorities, the Ministry of Defence, the French Embassy and the supplier company Eurocopter.

The Panther helicopter is equipped with a torpedo-launching system; a cabin-mounted 20 mm cannon gun pod; a ship deck landing system; an infrared surveillance system; a search and rescue radar, combined with weather radar; emergency floatation gear; double hoist, abseiling, fast roping systems with four stations on the helicopter; night vision goggles; stretcher systems; cargo loading stations, etc. The above characteristics rank the Panther among the most advanced multi-role naval helicopters in NATO.

The helicopter received is the first out of the three Panthers to be delivered for the Bulgarian Navy under an Agreement entered into with the French company Eurocopter. The aircraft are to arrive by the end of the year. In August and September earlier this year, six pilots and nine aviation engineers from the Bulgarian Navy completed successfully their training at Eurocopter’s training centre in France. Twelve Cougar helicopters have already been delivered for the Air Force under the Agreement with Eurocopter.

Joint Bulgarian-US Training Thracian Fall 2011 is to be held in the area of Plovdiv Airfield, Air Base Krumovo, and Cheshnegirovo Airfield from October 8th through 23rd, 2011. Bulgaria will participate with forces and assets from the Ministry of Defence and the structures directly subordinated to the Minister of Defence, the Joint Forces Command and formations from the from the Special Operation Forces under the Land Forces, the Air Force and the Navy.

Nearly 600 Bulgarian military personnel with a military transport aircraft C-27 Spartan and two helicopters AS 532 AL Cougar will take part in the training. For the first time, a formation from the Ministry of Interior will also take part in Thracian Fall 2011. The US participation in the joint training includes up to 150 military personnel from the United States Air Forces in Europe (USAFE), with four military transport aircraft C-130 Hercules and one C-21.

Daytime and night-time practice and combat parachute jumps will be performed during Thracian Fall 2011 from aircraft C-130 and C-27 Spartan. The activities include practicing low altitude tactical flights, transportation of troops and cargo, tactical airdrop, medical evacuation missions, search and rescue missions and various methods of humanitarian aid delivery to population in distress.

Thracian Fall 2011 is an opportunity to practice elements of the pre-deployment training of personnel and units from the declared formations of the Land Forces, the Air Force and the Navy for mission participation and will make it possible to enhance interoperability when working in an international environment.

The meeting of the Defence Ministers of the NATO Member States in Brussels continued today, October 6th, with a session of the North Atlantic Council (NAC) together with the partners in the Alliance operation in Afghanistan. The participants discussed the transition process and the importance of enhancing the capabilities of the Afghan authorities to take over responsibility for the security, governance and development of the country. This topic is of central importance to NATO.

In his speech, Minister Anguelov focused on the progress made in Afghanistan. He noted that over the past two years Bulgaria has augmented the strength of its contingent participating in the ISAF operation by almost 20 percent, and does not envisage further augmentation.

The meeting progressed with a working lunch with the partners from operation Unified Protector in Libya.

On the second day of the forum, Minister Anguelov had bilateral meetings with the Ministers of Defence of Mongolia and Afghanistan, at which he discussed the development of NATO operation in Afghanistan and the options for collaboration within the framework of the process.

“The topic of smart defence is timely and important for Bulgaria in the process of transformation of the Bulgarian Armed Forces in compliance with NATO standards and the requirements of the security environment,” Deputy Minister of Defence Avgustina Tzvetkova said today, October 6th, in her address to the participants in the international conference entitled Development of the Bulgarian Air Force in the context of the smart defence.

The forum was organized by the Air Force of the Republic of Bulgaria and the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA).

“Like our Allies, we also inevitably face financial constraints. Thus we are obliged to look for new ways to develop our defence system and first and foremost – to search for innovative solutions and approaches in planning, building and employing the Armed Forces,” Deputy Minister Tsvetkova added and pointed out that that was the only way in which we could be sufficiently flexible and prepared to meet the challenges of the dynamic security environment.

Among the participants in the international forum, held in Plovdiv, were Major-General Konstantin Popov, Air Force Commander; Commodore Georgi Fidanov, Director for Strategic Planning at the Defence Staff; Major-General Zoltan Pinter, Commander, Hungarian Air Force; representatives of NATO Agencies, of the international aviation industry, of the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Bulgaria, of the Bulgarian Academy of Science, of the G. S. Rakovski National Defence Academy, and of the Air Force Command.

The full text of the address delivered by Deputy Minister of Defence Avgustina Tzvetkova is available here.

The Ministry of Defence was presented with an Honorary Diploma for Contribution to the Freedom of Information on the occasion of the International Right to Know Day under the Access to Information Programme (AIP). It was awarded to the military institution in the category for an institution which has most efficiently organized the provision of public information, specifically for casting light on the work of the Zmeyovo military test field.

The Honorary Diploma was presented to Deputy Defence Minister Valentin Radev by Ms' Gergana Jouleva, PhD, Executive Director of AIP.

"It was our task to make Zmeyovo one of the most exposed military units in Bulgaria, and to prove to the residents of Stara Zagora that the test field does not pollute the air," Deputy Minister Radev said. He thanked the residents of Stara Zagora for nominating the MoD for this award; and he also thanked the ecological centre in the city and the Bulgarian Academy of Science for the assistance provided regarding the establishment of Space-Based Monitoring of Air Quality.

In the beginning of February 2010, a new section was created on the website of the Ministry of Defence, entitled "Zmeyovo Test Field", publishing data on the test field activities on a daily basis.

Creating such a section was one of the measures identified to be taken during meetings held by Defence Minister Anu Anguelov and Deputy Defence Minister Valentin Radev with representatives of the local government and the public of Stara Zagora.

Five cameras for direct monitoring have been installed at the Zmeyovo test field, broadcasting coverage of the tests carried out in real time. The website makes it possible to watch the measurements taken by the Automated Measuring Station for Ambient Air Control, by the stations managed by the Regional Inspectorate of Environment and Water (RIEW), and by the Space-Based Monitoring conducted by the Ministry of Defence in collaboration with the Bulgarian Academy of Science.

A Public Relations expert was assigned to Zmeyovo military test field, elected by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from the region whose activities are focused on environmental issues. Representatives of various civil society organizations (CSOs), associations, and media were given an opportunity to monitor activities carried out at the test field.

The purpose of the steps taken is to achieve a better level of awareness among the residents of the region of Stara Zagora on the activities going on at the test field.

The 9th Awards Ceremony on the occasion of the International Right to Know Day was held yesterday, September 28th, at the Press Club of the Bulgarian News Agency, Sofia.

Today, September 27th, General Simeon Simeonov, Chief of Defence of the Republic of Bulgaria, and Admiral Samuel J. Locklear III, USN, Commander, Allied Joint Force Command Naples, signed a Declaration for concluding the Program for Integration of BU Armed Forces into NATO.

"The Declaration we signed today is a confirmation that Bulgaria has accomplished the Integration Plan objectives. The Armed Forces of the Republic of Bulgaria have gone through a period of comprehensive transformation. We have brought our regulations and procedures in line with those of NATO," Defence Chief General Simeon Simeonov said in his address. He emphasized that the experience gathered by the Bulgarian Army will be of great importance to future joint activities and cooperation.

"The Bulgarian declared units have gone through intensive training in order to achieve interoperability with NATO forces. The certification and affirmation process has proved their readiness to participate in NATO operations. During the last several years the Bulgarian Armed Forces managed to create a pool of sufficient number of evaluators capable of conducting both national certification and NATO affirmation. Their experience is of great importance to our efforts to enhance the training of the Bulgarian declared units and make it more efficient and effective. With these units, as part of a single set of forces, Bulgaria has been successfully participating in NATO, UN and EU operations," General Simeonov added.

In turn, Admiral Samuel J. Locklear III, USN, Commander, Allied Joint Force Command Naples, said, "You have demonstrated the requisite operational capabilities necessary for inclusion in the NATO Force Structure and Integrated Air Defense System. We are honored to sign the "Declaration on the Bulgarian Armed Forces' Integration into NATO"," emphasized Admiral Locklear. "We are confident that the affirmation of Bulgarian units and their addition to the NATO Pool of Forces will increase the Alliance's operational capability and significantly contribute to regional and global security," Admiral Locklear pointed out.

Earlier today, Defence Minister Anu Anguelov met with Admiral Samuel J. Locklear III, USN, Commander, Allied Joint Force Command Naples. Minister Anguelov underlined that the accomplishment of the objectives of integration and interoperability of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Bulgaria into NATO is a result of the good interaction we have had for many years now. He introduced his guest to the documents, recently adopted by the National Assembly: the new National Defence Strategy, the White Paper on Defence, as well as with the Plan for the Development of the Armed Forces, elaborated on the basis of the Defence Strategy and the White Paper. Admiral Samuel J. Locklear III thanked our country for the participation of the Bulgarian military in ISAF, the deployment of the Drazki frigate to support the embargo of Libya, and the conduct of the annual Exercise BREEZE, which has improved interoperability among NATO units in the Black Sea.

Admiral Samuel J. Locklear III, USN, Commander, Allied Joint Force Command Naples was received earlier today with full military honors at the Monument of the Unknown Soldier.

The full text of the addresses of General Simeonov can be found here.

The full text of the addresses of Admiral Samuel J. Locklear can be found here.

"For the first time Bulgaria has hosted Multinational Special Operations Forces Exercise in which participate European NATO member states and partner states," said Minister Anu Anguelov after the demonstrations on the VIP day of the Jackal Stone 2011 Multinational Special Operations Forces Exercise at Novo Selo training range.

The exercise takes place in the period September 6th – 30th on the territories of three states – Bulgaria, Romania and Ukraine simultaneously and is coordinated by U.S. Special Operations Command Europe (SOCEUR).

"The exercise allows us to enhance interaction and improve the results of the units' preparation," emphasized Minister Anguelov.

The performance of the Bulgarian Special Forces was commended by Mr. Boyko Borisov, Prime Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria who followed the demonstrations together with Minister Anguelov and H.E. James Warlick, Ambassador of the USA to Bulgaria.

Pursuant to the scenario, the joint Bulgarian-American groups apprehended weapons trafficker and a leader of a terrorist organization. They demonstrated activities on seizing and search of a building, taking biometric data for individual identification and blockage of moving motorcade.
The Special Forces performed "fast rope" airborne landing from Air Force Cougar helicopters where the aircraft hovered in close proximity to the target. The helicopters enabled the troops from air and demonstrated medical evacuation of a wounded in the course of action personnel.

The Exercise was also attended by Mr. Dobroslav Dimitrov, Chair of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Foreign Policy and Defence, Mrs. Avgustina Tsvetkova, Deputy Minister of Defence, Vice Admiral Minko Kavaldzhiev, Deputy Chief of Defence, Lieutenant General Atanas Samandov, Commander of Joint Force Command, Major General Michael S. Repass, Commander of SOCEUR, Army and Air Force Commanders Major General Stefan Vasilev and Major General Konstantin Popov, General Plamen Lilov, Commander of 68 Special Forces Brigade, Mr. Marin Kavrakov and Mrs. Tanya Dimitrova, Sliven and Yambol District Governors, defence attaches, representatives of municipalities, etc.

For the first time Bulgarian military units have participated in the Joint Jackal Stone 2011 Multinational Special Operations Forces Exercise. Jackal Stone Exercise takes place in the period September 6th – 30th on the territories of three states – Bulgaria, Romania and Ukraine simultaneously. More than 1500 Special Operations Forces troops from nine states – Bulgaria, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Romania, the USA, Croatia, Ukraine and Hungary take part in it. Jackal Stone-2011 is coordinated by U.S. Special Operations Command Europe (SOCEUR). Chief of the Multinational Joint Special Operations Forces Component Command HQ is Colonel Yavor Mateev, head of the Bulgarian MoD "Joint Facilities" department.

The Deputy Minister of Defense is taking part today, 7 September 2011 in the two-day international conference "Countering Corruption in the Defense and Security Sectors". The forum is held in Tirana, the Republic of Albania, and is organized by George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies. The conference was opened by Sali Berisha, the Prime Minister of Albania, and Lt. Gen. (ret.) Keith W. Dayton, director of George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies. Mr. Kalin Georgiev, Secretary General and Commissioner General of the Ministry of Interior, participates in the event as well.

The Deputy Minister Tzvetkoiva is a leading lecturer in the international conference. Today, she presented the consistent anticorruption policy of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Bulgaria. The Bulgarian institutional experience in this sphere was highly appreciated by the participants in the forum as a model of successfully applied effective measures for counteracting corruption in the defense sector.

Representatives of eight countries from the region participate in the international conference. The discussions will contribute to implementing the good anticorruption practices and initiatives in Europe as well as to strengthening the relations between the regional structures engaged in conducting these activities.

The complete text of Deputy Minister Tzvetkova's lecture is published here.

"Bulgarian and Serbian Military Have Demonstrated High Professionalism and Excellent Results", Defence Minister Anu Anguelov said today, August 26th, after conclusion of the joint anti-aircraft and anti-missile firings, carried out by Bulgarian and Serbian formations. "I am certain that our cooperation with the Army of the Republic of Serbia will continue to grow and deepen further. In this way, we are building real combat capabilities, saving resources, and establishing contacts not only at the higher level but also among the military personnel themselves," Minister Anguelov pointed out.

The joint anti-aircraft and anti-missile firings carried out by Bulgarian and Serbian formations were seen today by the President of the Republic of Serbia Boris Tadić and the Prime Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria Boyko Borisov. They expressed their very high opinion of the cooperation between the two countries' Armed Forces and highlighted the excellent results produced by the joint exercise. The President of the Republic of Serbia Boris Tadić thanked Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and Defence Minister Anu Anguelov for the opportunity to conduct joint exercises of the Bulgarian and Serbian Armed Forces, which is a sign of the good relationship between the two countries. The future of neighbouring armies lies in joint exercises, which deliver good results, Prime Minister Boyko Borisov pointed out.

The tactical live firing exercise Esen 2011 (Autimn 2011), which started on 24 August at Shabla Air Defence Range, was completed today. It involved formations of the Air Force, the Army, and the Navy. The objective was to improve the level of training of the military required for performance of tasks within an operation on safeguarding the air and maritime sovereignty of the Republic of Bulgaria.

The joint actions conducted by the military were also observed by Mr. Tsvetan Tsvetanov, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, Mr. Dragan Šutanovac, Defence Minister of the Republic of Serbia, General Simeon Simeonov, Chief of Defence, and General Miloje Miletić, Chief of the General Staff of the Republic of Serbia, as well as commanders of the branches of the Armed Forces, senior officers of the Bulgarian Army and the Army of the Republic of Serbia, and representatives of the local executive authorities.

The fighter aviation performed firings, with the participation of aircrews from Graf Ignatievo Air Base and 204th Air Base of the Serbian Air Force; anti-aircraft and anti-missile weapons firings were performed by military formations from First Air Defence Brigade of the Air Force and the air defence elements of military formations 34 750 Karlovo and 32 990 Plovdiv of the Land Forces, as well as a Land Forces Air Defence element from 250th Air Defence Missile Brigade of the Serbian Air Force.

Among the equipment used for the firings were MiG-29 and Su-25 aircraft and air-defence systems SA-2 Volhov, SA-3 Neva, SA-6 Kub, SA-8 Osa, SA-10 C-300 and SA-7 MANPADS Strela-2M. Parachute targets, radio guided targets and aeroballistic targets were used. Su-25 crews from Bezmer Air Base carried out the scheduled airdropping of the parachute targets.

During the joint anti-aircraft and anti-missile firings, crews from Varna Naval Base and Border Police controlled navigation at sea in the area of the exercise.

The exercise planning officer is Lt. Gen. Atanas Samandov, Commander of the Joint Forces Command. The exercise was held under the leadership of Maj. Gen. Konstantin Popov, Air Force Commander. The Director of the exercise was Brig. Gen. Rumen Radev, Air Force Deputy Commander, and general leader of the firings was Brig. Gen Vanyo Slaveev, Commander of First Air Defence Brigade.

“It is our task, together with our US partners, to finish clearing the area, if possible, by the end of the year. It is my personal ambition that we finish by New Year’s Eve. It is particularly important to clean up the Technical Area, in order to make it possible for the expert examination report to be completed and submitted to the Prosecutor’s Office,” Deputy Minister of Defence Valentin Radev said today, August 18th, at a press conference on the course of development of Hot Summer Operation in Military Area 2138, Chelopechene.

The officials taking part in the conference were H.E. James B. Warlick, US Ambassador to Bulgaria, Lieutenant General Atanas Samandov, Joint Forces Commander, representatives of the International Trust Fund for Demining and Mine Victims Assistance, representatives of the US implementing organisation Sterling International, assisting the deep clearance, and the Mayor of Chelopechene.

“The leadership of the Ministry of Defence is very closely monitoring the goings-on at Chelopechene. We are focusing our efforts on training and arming our special engineering troops with new equipment. We have planned allocating approximately 700,000 leva to fund three tender procedures, which are about to start any time now: aiming to acquire a robot, heavy duty suits and remote controls for controlled explosions. This will help our military formations mainly for missions, but also here, if need be,” Deputy Minister Radev said, and added that the Defence Ministry has managed to pay off its large liabilities to external companies, having currently reduced their amount from 570 Million leva to less than 110 Million leva, and that as result, now we will be able to allocate funds for utilization and for equipment of the engineering formations.

Deputy Minister Radev thanked the US Embassy for the assistance provided, and also thanked all military personnel involved in working on the area’s clean-up.

After the statements were delivered, the attendants saw demonstrations of the equipment and activities relating to the detection and disposal of explosive devices.

* * *

The first operation of the Bulgarian Army for assisting the state and local administration in elimination and mitigation of the effects of the accident, Hot Summer 2008, was conducted from 3 July 2008 to 10 July 2009. The operation involved the participation of 450 military and civilian personnel on a rotational basis, as well as representatives of the US Company DynCorp International. An area of 249,000 decares, within nine kilometres from the epicentre of the accident, was investigated, cleared and designated; the “Chelopechene Fish Hatcheries”, with an area of 234 decares and falling within the Natura 2000 national network of protected zones, were surface-cleared. 73,556 unexploded ordnance (UXO) were recovered. 47,212 of them were disposed of, and the rest were transported to a munitions storage facility for further utilization.

The second operation, Hot Summer 2010, was conducted from 20 May 2010 to 3 September 2010. About 200 Bulgarian military and civilian personnel took part in it. The cleared area was of 129 decares and the number of munitions and UXO recovered and disposed of was 6,042.

The objective of the Hot Summer 2011 Operation, which started in July this year, is final clearance of the area of Chelopechene of UXO and UXO remnants. The participants in the operation are: a Bulgarian Specialized Task Force, having six subordinate formations composed of 57 military and civilian personnel and 14 units of equipment for the surface clearance of UXO on the right bank of the Lesnovska River and of part of the “Chelopechene Fish Hatcheries” Natura 2000 protected zone; the International Trust Fund for Demining and Mine Victims Assistance in Slovenia, which has subcontracted the US implementing organisation Sterling International to assist the deep clearance of the Technical Area; and the Regional Center for Underwater Demining (RCUD) from Montenegro, responsible for the clearance of the water areas.

Since the beginning of the operation, 2,414 munitions have been recovered (1,099 of them by Sterling International). The munitions are disposed of in the area of the Military Unit and of Slivnitsa Field Training Range, 956 of them having already been destroyed at present. The area that has already been surface-cleared is approximately 100 decares of the designated areas.

Today, July 27th, Defence Minister Anu Anguelov had a meeting with General James L. Jones, former United States National Security Advisor (from 2009 to 2010) and former Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) (from 2003 to 2006). The two officials discussed a number of topical issues present on NATO’s agenda related to security in South-East Europe, the future of NATO’s missile defence in Europe, energy security, etc.

Minister Anguelov and General Jones discussed the situation in Afghanistan and the specifics of transfer of responsibility for the security of the country from ISAF to the Afghan National Security Forces. The talks put an emphasis on the bilateral relations between the United States and Bulgaria, highlighting the use and development of shared facilities located in Bulgaria.

Minister Anguelov extended his gratitude to General Jones for his support, both for Bulgaria’s NATO membership and for the reform of the Armed Forces of Bulgaria in general, and assured him that the transformation and development of the Bulgarian Army continues with growing impetus.

With respect to the above, Minister Anguelov gave an overview of what has been achieved in the last two years, pointing out the Force Structure Review held and the White Paper on Defence adopted. He highlighted as a major success the fully integrated Ministry of Defence and the good collaboration in joint teams of civilian and military personnel.

Today, July 26th, Defence Minister Anu Anguelov visited the Embassy of the Kingdom of Norway in order to express his compassion with the grief of the people of Norway, mourning the victims of the attacks in the capital Oslo and the Island of Utoeya.

Minister Anguelov wrote in the book of condolence:

"The leadership, the military, and the civilian personnel of the Ministry of Defence and the Bulgarian Armed Forces are shocked by the tragedy that struck the Norwegian people.

We solemnly condemn this inhuman act of terrorism, as there can be no cause justifying such mass murder of innocent people.

Our most sincere and heartfelt condolences go out to Norway. We mourn alongside the victims' friends and relations and the people of Norway."

During the BREEZE/CERTEX 2011 Exercise of the Navy with international participation, the certification committee evaluated the Bulgarian frigate Verni against the NATO second level criteria for operational capabilities.

The Verni frigate was assessed "operationally ready"; this allows the Bulgarian Navy to declare a second frigate for deployment to NATO missions and operations.

Today, July 20th, five maritime groups comprised of 23 naval ships started putting into practice the planned scenarios. Among the drills were firings against maritime targets, antisubmarine warfare, and repelling aerial enemy attacks. Two Sukhoi Su-25 "Frogfoot" aircraft of the Navy and a P-3 Orion primary patrol aircraft of the US Navy took part in the scenarios.

The Bulgarian seamen, together with representatives of the State Agency for Refugees, the Burgas Regional Border Police Directorate, the Bulgarian Red Cross, the Burgas Fire Safety and Population Protection District Directorate, and the Burgas Ministry of Interior Regional Directorate, set up a temporary Refugee Reception Office in the area of Atia Naval Base deployment point, and drilled activities related to the reception of refugees. A small landing craft 302 of the Navy evacuated civilians hit by an earthquake from the St. Anastasia Island.

Today, July 19th, a conference was held within the framework of the Breeze/Certex 2011 exercise of the Navy with international participation, focusing on the upcoming going out to sea of the ships.

Led by the commander of the ship operational unit Commodore Georgi Motev, the officers from the unit's HQ, the commanders of maritime groups, and the ships' commanders discussed the practical implementation of the planned scenarios at sea.

The BREEZE/CERTEX 2011 Exercise of the Navy, with international participation, has begun. It will take place in the west of the Black Sea from 15th of July until 24th of July 2011. The Bulgarian Navy will participate with over 15 battle and auxiliary ships and boats and with more than 800 personnel. Two airplanes of the Air Force will also take part in the exercise.

Ships from the Navies of Turkey and Romania will also participate in BREEZE/CERTEX 2011, as well as an airplane from the patrol aviation of the USA, and two ships from the Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2).

The aim of the exercise is to improve the interoperability and the interaction between the Navies of the participating countries with regard to the activities of a naval component of a Multinational Operational Unit in a crisis response operation. The operational capabilities of the Bulgarian frigate Verni and the Romanian frigate Mărăşeşti will be evaluated against the NATO second level criteria (NATO Evaluation Level NEL-2)

The exercise drills include tasks related to the implementation of options for command of multinational forces, interaction between the Navy and other government institutions and non-governmental organizations in the event of a crisis response operation in a multinational environment, response activities aimed at mitigation of the consequences of terrorist attacks (fire-fighting and oil spill response), delivering humanitarian aid to people in distress in the event of natural disasters, liberating a ship captured by pirates, conducting joint maritime search and rescue (SAR) operations, and providing humanitarian aid to and accepting asylum seeking foreign evacuees into the territory of the country.

The planning of the exercise was conducted under the leadership of Navy Commander Rear Admiral Plamen Manushev and exercise director is Navy Deputy Commander Commodore Rumen Nikolov. Commander of the ship operational unit is Commodore Georgi Motev.

The stages of BREEZE/CERTEX 2011 will involve attendance of representatives of government institutions, non-governmental organizations, and the local administrative authorities.

"In the course of the Bulgarian Chairmanship, we pursued the accomplishment of priorities related to greater pragmatism and result-oriented decisions. Thanks to our joint perseverance, our mutual tolerance and most of all to our responsibility for the future of the stability and security in Southeastern Europe, the SEDM Process acquired a new impetus and more specific dimensions," Deputy Defence Minister Avgustina Tsvetkova said today, July 14th, in Larissa, Hellenic Republic, at the official handover-takeover ceremony of the Chairmanship of the South-Eastern Europe Defence Ministerial (SEDM) Process from Bulgaria to Italy and the ceremonial act of relocation of the Headquarters of the South-Eastern Europe Multinational Mechanized Brigade (SEEBRIG) in Larissa.

Bulgaria took over the SEDM Chairmanship in 2009, being responsible for the planning and coordination of the implementation of the main political-military and military-technical activities carried out between the countries. At a meeting of SEDM Member States held in Tirana, Albania in 2010, our country proposed that the Headquarters of the South-Eastern Europe Multinational Brigade (SEEBRIG) be permanently based in the territory of Bulgaria after 2015.

At the annual meeting of the Deputy Chiefs of Defence of the South-Eastern European countries held in June this year in Istanbul, Turkey, our country reiterated its willingness to permanently base SEEBRIG HQ in Bulgaria, which will help transforming the Brigade into a multinational formation with the capabilities necessary for effective participation in peace-keeping operations.

Today, Deputy Minister Avgustina Tsvetkova handed over her post Chairperson of the Political Military Steering Committee of the Multinational Peace Force South-Eastern Europe (PMSC-MPFSEE) to her counterpart Giuseppe Cossiga, Deputy Minister of Defence of the Italian Republic. She pointed out that that the application of the comprehensive political, administrative and military capacity of Italy's Ministry of Defence and General Staff will contribute to the improvement of the overall activities, to promotion of greater constructiveness in managing SEDM projects, and to achieving practical results aimed at increasing the employment of the Brigade and its deployment capabilities.

The new Commander of SEBRIG for the next two years, Brigadier General Zdravko Popovski from Macedonia, was also inaugurated at the same ceremony. At this post, he succeeds Brigadier General Zyber Dushku from Albania.

Deputy Minister Tsvetkova thanked Brigadier General Zyber Dushku and his staff for their excellent work and added that the Defence Ministers' meetings in Sofia and Tirana were indicative of the good political and military cooperation in the region and have provided guidance on how to advance SEEBRIG as an example of smart defence.

The Bulgarian Delegation attending the ceremony was headed by Deputy Chief of Defence Vice Admiral Minko Kavaldzhiev. The Bulgarian Army was represented by servicemen from 2nd Tundzha Light Infantry Brigade.

Deputy Minister of Defence Avgustina Tsvetkova is leaving today, July 13th, on a two-day visit to Larissa, Greece, where she will attend the official handover-takeover ceremony of the Chairmanship of the South-Eastern Europe Defence Ministerial (SEDM) Process. Deputy Minister Tsvetkova, Chairperson of the Political Military Steering Committee of the Multinational Peace Force South-Eastern Europe (PMSC-MPFSEE) will hand over her post to her counterpart Giuseppe Cossiga, Deputy Minister of Defence of the Italian Republic.

Bulgaria took over the SEDM Chairmanship in 2009, and the Secretariat of the initiative was responsible for the planning and coordination of the implementation of the main political-military and military-technical activities carried out between the countries. For the period leading up to 2013, responsibility for the activities will be taken by the Secretariat of the Ministry of Defence of Italy.

At the same ceremony, the national Armed Forces of the MPFSEE countries will participate in the ceremonial act of relocation of the Headquarters of the South-Eastern Europe Multinational Mechanized Brigade (SEEBRIG) in Larissa, Greece.

The new Commander of SEBRIG for the next two years, Brigadier General Zdravko Popovski from Macedonia, will also officially take his post at the ceremony. At this post, he succeeds Brigadier General Zyber Dushku from Albania.

The Bulgarian Delegation to attend the ceremony will be headed by Deputy Chief of Defence Vice Admiral Minko Kavaldzhiev. The Bulgarian Army will be represented by servicemen from 2nd Tundzha Light Infantry Brigade.

Hot Summer 2011 Operation began today, July 5th, in the area of Chelopechene. The objective of the endeavor is to carry out a deep sub-surface clearance of unexploded ordnance (UXO) at Technical Area 3 in Military Area 2138, Chelopechene, of the water areas within two kilometres from the epicentre of the accident, and a subsequent surface clearance of part of the area protected under Natura 2000, “Chelopechene Fish Hatcheries”.

A Specialized Task Force of the Bulgarian Army composed of 51 military and civilian personnel, as well as US specialists and equipment will take part in the clearance.

The operation will be led by the Joint Force Command through an Operational Coordination, Interaction and Management Group.

The US Air Force Aerobatics Demonstration Group 'Thunderbirds' is going to display an aerobatics air show in Bulgaria. Their visit comes in response to an invitation extended by Bulgarian Air Force and is part of the events organized in relation to the forthcoming 100th anniversary of our military aviation.

Graf Ignatievo Air Base will open at 0930 hours on June 25th, 2011, to offer free admission for spectators.

The programme includes the following events:
1000 hrs Concert performance by the Bulgarian Air Forces Brass Band;
1030 hrs Concert performance by the Song and Dance Ensemble;
1140 hrs Parachute jumping performed by the Special Operations Forces;
1225 hrs Hoisting of the national flags of the two countries;
1230 hrs Thunderbirds ground ceremony;
1300 hrs Thunderbirds Air Show;
1400 hrs Autograph session and photos with the pilots.

Formed in 1953, the US Air Force Aerobatics Demonstration Group 'Thunderbirds' has become a synonym of the professionalism and achievements of the US Air Force, and includes the best fighter pilots selected from all US Air Bases. This June's aerobatics display is the group's third visit to Bulgaria.

“Bulgaria plays an important part in enhancing cooperation and promoting security reform in the Balkans. Our country takes active part in regional cooperation forums. A success story in that department is the South-East Europe Defence Ministerial Process (the SEDM Process), which Bulgaria has chaired for the past two years and under whose auspices we have achieved a lot in terms of developing NATO and EU policies and standards in the region,” Defence Minister Anu Anguelov said at the 28th International Workshop on Global Security, held in Paris. He emphasised the central role played by NATO and the EU in stabilising the region and placing it firmly on the road to integration and economic prosperity. “Integration into Euro-Atlantic structures has played the role of a driving force for stabilisation and modernisation. Today Romania and Bulgaria may become a positive example, and accession to the Schengen Area is yet another important step of this process,” Minister Anguelov added. He explained that South-East European countries have made progress as regards stabilising the region, and today participate side by side with the Allies in missions and operations in conflict zones in various parts of the world. In turn, those countries should take account of the fact that they can rely unreservedly on NATO when it comes to their defence. With respect to the above, Minister Anguelov pointed out that it is necessary to prepare Action Plans for the NATO Member States from the region, as well as Action Plans of the Alliance in times of crisis, which will lead to more timely, decisive, and adequate actions in the event of crisis like the one in Libya and the like.

Minister Anguelov delivered a paper in the panel Perspectives of Regional Leaders: The Balkan and Black Sea Region. Other lecturers in the same panel were the Vice-Prime Minister of Georgia Giorgi Baramidze, the Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the EU H.E. Vladimir Chizhov, and the Defence Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina – Selmo Cikotić; of Croatia – Davor Božinović; of Slovenia – Ljubica Jelušič; and of Montenegro – Boro Vučinić.

In conclusion, Minister Anguelov shared with the participants in the forum that he was optimistic about the region’s future: “It is not only the political climate that has changed over the past decade; it is also the attitude of the people on the Balkans. If the countries in the region continue to build upon positive processes, this will definitely result in their improved economic situation.”

The International Workshop on Global Security is being held for the 28th time, having strengthened its positions over the years as an important high level forum presenting the opportunity to discuss various initiatives and processes in the field of security and defence. This year the workshop is attended by the Defence Ministers of a number of countries, among which France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Poland, the Czech Republic, Turkey, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Croatia, etc. Among the participants in the forum are also senior representatives of NATO, the United Nations, and the USA.

At the North Atlantic Council session of this afternoon, the Bulgarian side reaffirmed our understanding of the indivisibility of security within NATO and provision of equally effective missile defence (MD) in the territory of the Member States. Bulgaria expressed its willingness to discuss all options for the geographic location of MD elements. We welcomed the work done on the defence and deterrence potential of NATO, in implementation of the task set by the NATO Lisbon Summit. The activities envisaged to be carried out to the end of the working day include a session of the NATO-Russia Council, dedicated to the possibilities for cooperation and its potential to contribute to greater transparency, mutual trust, and security. At the end of the day the Ministers of Defence will have a working dinner at which they will consider proposals as to the geographic location of a new, more compact and effective command structure of NATO, and will discuss the reform of NATO agencies.

In his speech delivered during the working lunch with the partners participating in NATO Operation Unified Protector, held earlier today as part of the schedule of the Meeting of the Defence Ministers of the Member States of the Alliance, Minister Anguelov pointed out that in the short-term NATO should keep on protecting Libyan citizens from attacks and should continue enforcing the arms embargo and the no-fly zone, in implementation of UNSCR 1970 and 1973. In the long-term, a possible role to be played by NATO will depend on the future political processes to take place in Libya. Taking into account the need to enhance NATO HQs leading the operations, Bulgaria envisages undertaking the commitment to man up to five officer positions in the relevant HQs.

The two-day formal Meeting of NATO Defence Ministers is held in Brussels, the Kingdom of Belgium. It was opened today, June 8th, by a meeting of the Nuclear Planning Group (NPG).

 

The US Air Force Aerobatics Demonstration Group 'Thunderbirds' is going to display an aerobatics air show in Bulgaria. Their visit comes in response to an invitation extended by Bulgarian Air Force and is part of the events organized in relation to the forthcoming 100th anniversary of our military aviation.

The aerial demos featured by the 'Thunderbirds' Demonstration Group will be held on June 25th, 2011 at Graf Ignatievo Air Base. In keeping with established tradition, the show will start with a ground ceremony, which will demonstrate the precision achieved in the training and joint activities carried out by the engineer-technical crew and aircrew. The aerial demos are a combination of group and solo performances with elements and formation arrays of aerobatics.

The programme will continue with a concert performance by the Song and Dance Ensemble of the Bulgarian Army and a demonstration of parachute jumping performed by the Special Operations Forces task force. Graf Ignatievo Air Base will open at 0930 hours on June 25th, 2011. Admission for guests is free.

Formed in 1953, the US Air Force Aerobatics Demonstration Group 'Thunderbirds' has become a synonym of the professionalism and achievements of the US Air Force, and includes the best fighter pilots selected from all US Air Bases. This June's aerobatics display will be the group's third visit to Bulgaria.

All media interested in attending the air show must RSVP no later than1700 hours on June 17th, 2011, submitting to the press office their full name, personal identity number, ID number, organization represented and position held, at (359) (0) 2 92 24 014 or pr_vvs@abv.bg.

The crew of the Drazki Frigate has returned today, June 4th, accosting at Burgas Naval Base, after having successfully taken part in the NATO Operation Unified Protector in support of the arms embargo imposed on Libya. The official welcoming ceremony was attended by Deputy Defence Minister Avgustina Tsvetkova, Deputy Defence Chief Vice Admiral Minko Kavaldzhiev and Navy Chief Rear Admiral Plamen Manushev. Friends and relations of the seamen welcomed them at the Naval Base.

“Thank you for the professional performance of your tasks. I am happy to see you back on Bulgarian soil, safe and sound,” Deputy Minister Tsvetkova said to the frigate crew.

Drazki joined NATO Operation Unified Protector in support of the arms embargo imposed on Libya at 0000 hours on May 1st, 2011. The frigate completed two rounds of patrol, from May 1st to May 12th and from May 17th to May 31st, 2011. The tasks on observance of the air situation and surveillance and control of sea transport aimed at searching the cargo of ships headed for Libyan seaports were performed in the Mediterranean, in the eastern part of the area of operations facing Libyan shore (not entering Libyan territorial waters). The participation of Drazki in NATO Operation Unified Protector ended on May 31st, 2011.

The Drazki crew interrogated a total of 76 vessels, 22 of which in the Arabic language; 3214 air targets were monitored. For the 28 days spent at sea, a total of 7,600 nautical miles were sailed. During the whole period of operation the frigate was refueled four times at sea.

While at operation, the crew carried out its daily routine training activities, including, fire safety drills and emergency situation response.

Bulgaria and the Bulgarian Navy may be proud of the commendable participation of Drazki’s 160-men crew in NATO Operation Unified Protector.

On June 1st, after the end of the participation in the operation, Rear Admiral Gualtiero Mattesi, commander of the Naval Group, sent a thank-you note to the Commander of the Drazki frigate Commander Pancho Panchev, in which he expressed his high opinion of the professionalism, excellent maritime skills and good level of training and preparation of the crew and ship. In his letter, Rear Admiral Mattesi pointed out that the commanding structure and crew of Drazki fully integrated into the Naval Group, thus contributing to the effective enforcement of UNSCR 1973. His high praise yet again reiterates the professionalism and prestige of Bulgarian Navy.

"For the acquisition and maintenance of high value armament systems and personnel training, we will rely on even more enhanced coordination. In this context Bulgaria will look into cooperation with other Alliance member-states, mostly neighbouring, for capabilities pooling and sharing", said today, May 29, 2011, Minister of Defence Anu Anguelov during NATO Parliamentary Assembly spring plenary session in Varna. "Bulgaria has already extended proposals to neighbouring member-states to look into areas where we could possibly cooperate or perform joint activities. We have signed an Air Policing Agreement with Greece. Similar Agreement is ready to be signed with Romania. The idea has been discussed with Turkey," further elaborated Minister Anguelov.

In his address during the Committee session, Minister Anguelov placed special focus on smart defence and capabilities pooling and sharing within NATO. He pointed out that the severe financial crisis has put the defence establishments of the individual member-states and the ongoing transformation processes on trial. "In response to this situation, smart defence concept was launched, aiming at the achievement of better results with less money, with more coordination and more coherence", explained Minister Anguelov. Further he elaborated that the approach to the generation of the necessary defence capabilities with less spending is to acquire joint capabilities within the Alliance." Further he emphasized that these efforts call for strong political will within the states themselves and national Parliaments' role in this respect is decisive.

Particular point in Minister Anguelov's address was NATO's role in regional cooperation. Minister Anguelov touched on the successful development of the most comprehensive South-East Europe defence cooperation project – the South-East Europe Defence Ministerial Process (SEDM) whose Chairmanship Bulgaria has been holding for the last two years. "SEDM could also work as a regional platform allowing for the fullest employment of the opportunities offered by the EU and NATO, further enhancing the Euro-Atlantic integration of the countries in the region," stated Minister Anguelov and added, that Bulgaria has proposed the permanent location of SEEBRIG HQ to be in Plovdiv, while the possibility of joint employment of military shared facilities which Bulgaria and Romania are establishing with the USA, involving possibly other countries of the region, has been discussed with Romania.

Regarding the Black Sea region security issues, Minister Anguelov declared that Bulgaria will continue to actively work towards the development of diverse NATO and EU policies,  matched with the search for new forms and mechanisms of enhanced regional cooperation, particularly with other member-states of both organizations. He underlined that as a result of her intensified policy regarding the Black Sea region, recently Bulgaria has initiated talks with Turkey on collaboration within BLACK SEA HARMONY Turkish naval operation which will add to BLACKSEAFOR efforts and thus would considerably guarantee maritime security promotion.

In his address Minister Anguelov further touched on NATO-Russia relationships, NATO Partnerships, ballistic missile defence and the missions and operations to which Bulgaria contributes. He reiterated the decisive role of national Parliaments and NATO Parliamentary Assembly for the implementation of the Allied policies and especially in the process of  fostering broad public understanding of their significance in the  individual member-states.

The full text of Minister Anguelov's address at NATO Parliamentary Assembly spring plenary session can be seen here.

Today, May 29th, Chief of Defence General Simeon Simeonov took part the NATO Parliamentary Assembly Defence and Security Committee session. He presented a report on the Reforms in the Armed Forces of the Republic of Bulgaria.

In his speech General Simeonov outlined the key points of military capabilities transformation issues.

"In view of the implementation of the national security policy, the Ministry of Defence undertook acceleration of the planned reforms not only within the Armed Forces but also within the whole defence system," pointed out Chief of Defence.

eneral Simeonov stated that security environment assessment and the goals set for the defence sector in the National Security Strategy do not call for amendments to the Armed Forces role, missions and tasks.

The Armed Forces structure review allowed us to select a balanced set of necessary capabilities laying the foundation for the transition to a single set of forces performing a broad spectrum of missions and tasks in the implementation of the national interests of the country taking into consideration resource and financial constraints," further elaborated Chief of Defence.

General Simeonov pointed out that the Bulgarian Armed Forces transform the troops and forces in line with the altering security environment, the responsibilities within collective defence and the commitments to international organizations – the EU, UN, OSCE and regional initiatives.

"Our immediate task is to build-up and prepare effective and usable Armed Forces", summarized General Simeonov in conclusion.

The full text of Chief of Defence General Simeonov's speech is published here.

Today, May 28th, Deputy Minister of Defence Avgustina Tzvetkova took pat in NATO Parliamentary Assembly Economy and Security Committee session in Varna. In her address devoted to the topic of "Defence Sector Integrity Building: NATO Initiatives and Economic Outcomes", she informed the participant in the international forum on the anti-corruption measures undertaken by the Ministry of Defence in the course of structures reform process and the build-up of defence system based on military capabilities.

"Corruption is the most drastic demonstration of wasteful employment of resources and efforts, and in this light, the oversight over drawbacks and weaknesses in the area of defence is of even greater importance and is becoming more imperative," stated Deputy Minister Tzvetkova. She pointed out that the components to guarantee successful anti-corruption reform are political will, explicit strategy for its implementation and objective external assessment which, if necessary, could play the role of corrective tool comparing the opted direction with integrity building prerequisites.

Deputy Minister Tzvetkova invited the members of Parliament to become the driving force in countering corruption efforts as Executive Authority corrective instrument, and to contribute to the active involvement in NATO's "Building Integrity in the Defence Sector" initiative.

The full text of Deputy Minister Tzvetkova's speech is published here.

Today, May 17th, the crew of the Drazki frigate began its second round of patrol under NATO-Led Operation Unified Protector.

During their first patrol, ending on May 12th, 2011, the Bulgarian seamen performed tasks on observance of the air situation and surveillance of sea transport in the area of responsibility as ordered, standby and ready to inspect on board suspicious vessels and cargo and to conduct specific maritime operations by order of the task force commander.

The Drazki crew has interrogated a total of 46 vessels – fishing boats, tug boats and container carriers. The most intensive patrol day was May 6th, Day of Valour and Day of Bulgarian Armed Forces, when 15 Libyan fishing boats were interrogated.

During the first round of patrol the frigate was refueled twice at sea (Cf. photos at MoD website). The experience of the crew, gathered over the years from participation in Active Endeavour and UNIFIL operations, has helped excellent organization and interaction with crews of military tankers and completion of task in compliance with standard operating procedures.

In the interval between the two patrol rounds, the frigate replenished its fuel and food supplies at the Island of Crete.

Since the beginning of its participation in the operation on April 27th, until May 13, 2011, the Drazki frigate covered 4,350 nautical miles. To wishes for success, sound health, personal and family happiness, five seamen celebrated their birthdays and nine of them celebrated the day of the patron saint after whom they were christened.

During the first round of patrol the battle ships from the task force in which the Bulgarian frigate is included interrogated over 900 vessels, over 40 of which on board. Five of the vessels were redirected from their final destination to other ports in conformity with UNSC Resolution on imposing embargo over transporting strategic cargo at sea.

The second round of patrol of the Drazki frigate in NATO-Led Operation Unified Protector is scheduled to end on May 31st, 2011.

On the occasion of May 6th – Day of Valour and Day of the Bulgarian Armed Forces, the Minister of Defence Anu Anguelov and the Chief of Defence General Simeon Simeonov have talked today, May 5th, with Bulgarian troops participating in the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) operation in Afghanistan, KFOR operation in Kosovo, the EU mission in Georgia, the EU operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

During the video-conference, the MoD officials also talked to the Commander of the Drazki frigate, which is currently deployed to the NATO-led mission Unified Protector. Commander Pancho Panchev said that his crew were highly motivated and well prepared for the tasks. So far, the crew has not inspected the cargo of ships or fishing boats in the area, as such responsibilities have not yet been assigned by the Commander of the Operation.

Minister Anguelov and General Simeonov have wished all servicemen sound health and good luck, high morale as ever, and a safe return home.

Later on Minister Anguelov said to the journalists that the new Rules of Organizational Structure of the Ministry of Defence were adopted yesterday at a closed session of the Council of Ministers, as well as a draft Decree of the Council of Ministers.

The Rules have been elaborated on the basis of the organizational structure of the Ministry of Defence as discussed by the Defence Council. With it, the Ministry has succeeded to get rid of the duplication of functions of administrative structures and their restructuring, accompanied by downsizing in number. The administration of the Ministry will be reduced by 184 staff positions.

Significant downsizing is seen in the structures directly subordinated to the Minister of Defence, which are reduced by 525 staff positions.

A central military command will be established, which will assume all functions relating to the training of the reserve and the personnel status reporting, in conjunction with the district military commands. The Plan for Development of the Armed Forces is being followed closely.

Minister Anguelov added that the number of servicemen leaving the army by their own choice has dropped by 20%, as compared to the same period last year.

Yesterday, 27 April, the Minister of Defence Anu Angelov and the Chief of Defence General Simeon Simeonov sent with military honors Drazki Frigate to participate in NATO operation Unified Protector, supporting the enforcement of arms embargo against Libya. “Do your military service the way the name of the ship implies: courageously and with good faith!”   Minister Angelov spoke to the crew of the frigate. “You have to be vigilant and you have to preserve the high motivation you have now throughout the whole sailing mission. The Ministry of Defence, the Defence Staff and the Navy did everything that was necessary to prepare the ship and the sailors, and we will be constantly in direct contact with you.” Minister Angelov gave the crew an icon of Saint Nikola the Miracle Maker and wished the sailors that Saint Nikolay  protect them and all participants in the mission return home safe and sound.  The Chief of Navy, Rear Admiral Plamen Manushev, presented the crew with an icon of Saint Nikolay, consecrated at thanksgiving church service. The sailors received a statuette of the Saint from the Mayor of the town of Bourgas, Mr. Dimitar Nikolov, and an icon of Saint George the Victorious from the District Governor, Mr. Konstantin Grebenarov.  Priest Stiliyan from Saint Nikola Church in the village of Chernomorets consecrated the frigate and wished the crew to return home safely.

Implementing the decision N 207 dated from 31.03.2011 of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Bulgaria on participation in NATO operation Unified Protector with a ship class frigate, a Special Operations Group included in it, Drazki Frigate will join the operational NATO Maritime Group acting to support the arms embargo against the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya in the Mediterranean Sea.

In NATO operation Unified Protector, the frigate will fulfill tasks on protection, convoying, conducting checks, deviation and/or detainment of ships in compliance with the resolutions 1970 and 1973 dated 2011 passed by the UN Security Council.

Drazki frigate will participate in the operation from 1 May 2011 to 31 May 2011. To this aim, the frigate will sail four days to the location of the operation and will return back home for the same duration of time after completing its participation in the operation.

During its participation in the operation, the Bulgarian military vessel will patrol the eastern part of the area of the operation in front of the Libyan shores. It is envisioned for the frigate to conduct patrolling for two periods of fourteen days each with a three-day break  between them when the vessel will be stationed at the port of Souda on the island of Crete in order to restore its supplies and provisions.  The degree of risk of the operation is determined as being low by the Defence Staff.

The total price of the frigate is approximately 1.5 million Leva.  The crew consists of 160 servicemen, seven of whom are women who have participated in several missions of the Alliance with the frigate. There will be a psychologist on board of the ship. The servicemen will receive 50 per cent additional payment above their monthly remuneration, and their traveling expenses vary from 51 to 53 Euro per day depending on heir rank.

Тhe commanding officer of the frigate is Captain Pancho Panchev.

The three-day tactical drills within the framework of the first leg of the Army command and staff exercise “Allied Force 2011” have begun. By April 12th, over 1,400 military personnel and approximately 500 units of combat and auxiliary equipment were staged at Koren field training ground.

On April 16th and 17th, the exercise will continue with the second leg named “Defensive Battle Preparation”, and for April 18th and 19th, the schedule has “Participation of the Brigade in a Defence Operation of the Multinational Joint Operational Forces”.

Military personnel from a number of Bulgarian cities will take part in the live firings, including riflemen from Yambol, tankers from Sliven, artillerymen from Yambol and Asenovgrad, and antiaircraft personnel from Haskovo.

“Security in the Black Sea Region is of priority importance. Bulgarian is open to discuss all initiatives relating to the development of the regional cooperation in the Black Sea,” Defence Minister Anu Anguelov said, addressing the international conference under the title “Enhancing Maritime Security in the Black Sea Region – Cooperation and Capabilities”, held today, April 12th, in Golden Sands, Varna, Bulgaria.

Minister Anguelov made it clear that Bulgaria has reconsidered its view with regard to participation of the Bulgarian Navy in the Operation Black Sea Harmony launched by the Turkish Navy. Bulgaria is the only country in the region which has not contributed to the operation yet.

Minister Anguelov emphasised that the present leadership of the Ministry of Defence, in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has made a political decision to revise this policy, and that discussions are to be held at the expert level aimed at identifying possible forms of cooperation between Bulgarian and Turkish Navy.

“We regard this cooperation not from the emotional perspective but taking into account the specific security environment and how beneficial such interaction may be for us,” added Minister Anguelov, and further explained that this position exemplified the adopted approach to seek ways to manage risks and threats, and that it was directly related to the view of what the essence of the relations among NATO Allies should be like.

“I have repeatedly pointed out that we must build a new allied culture, as it is our allies we rely on when it comes to ensuring our own defence. This means that we should treat our allies with trust and not with suspicion or as if they were covert enemies,” added the Minister of Defence.

“Drazki is completing its preparation for participation in NATO’s operation Unified Protector and will set sail by the end of this month,” said Defence Minister Anu Anguelov today, April, 11th, while on a visit to Burgas Naval Base. The exact departure date when the vessel will set off to participate in the operation in support of the arms embargo against Libya is yet to be coordinated with the relevant NATO structures, he explained, and added that “We expect Drazki to patrol in the East Mediterranean waters and that the approximate duration of the participation will be 40 days. The Defence Staff has determined the risk level of the operation as low.”

The frigate will be responsible for the following tasks under NATO’s operation Unified Protector: protecting, convoying, inspecting, diverting and/or detaining vessels, in compliance with United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1970 and 1973 (2011).

Today Minister Anguelov inspected the ongoing preparation of the frigate and met with the crew. The meeting was also attended by Deputy Chief of Defence Vice Admiral Minko Kavaldzhiev, Navy Chief Rear Admiral Plamen Manushev, and Burgas Naval Base Commander Brigadier General Georgi Motev. Commander Pancho Panchev, commander of Drazki, delivered a briefing on the preparedness of crew for participation in NATO’s operation.

Deputy Chief of Defence Major General Yordan Yordanov is to participate in the Distinguished Visitors Day of the VIKING 11 international exercise at the invitation of the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of the Kingdom of Sweden General Sverker Göranson.

VIKING 11 is a computer-assisted exercise and will be held simultaneously in several countries. The exercise scenario involves meeting the challenges of today’s crisis response and peace operations.

The exercise will encompass a United Nations Headquarters, Governmental and non-Governmental Organizations, NATO military components and an EU Battle Group

“Bulgaria supports the main priorities in the field of security and defence of the Polish Presidency of the EU,” Defence Minister Anu Anguelov said today, April 7th, during a briefing session following the meeting with his Polish counterpart Bogdan Klich, who is in Bulgaria on an official visit.

“The four security and defense policy priorities of the Polish EU Presidency are reinforcing the cooperation between NATO and the EU, more efficient use of the battle groups of the EU, improving the coordination in joint use of civilian and military capacities, and active cooperation with the so called ‘third countries’,” explained the National Defence Minister of the Republic of Poland.

The two Ministers announced that the Defence Ministries of the two countries are in the process of drafting a new cooperation agreement which will provide for a wider and more modern scope of defence cooperation. They singled out cybersecurity as a possible field for exchanging experience.

Among the topics discussed during the talks were the situation on the Balkans and the EU-led Althea operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the development of the operation in Afghanistan and the existing options for cooperation between the defence industries of the two countries.

The talks focused on the new tasks resulting from the NATO Lisbon Summit: defence against cyber attacks and missile defence.

The two Ministers expressed their satisfaction with the fruitful dialogue between Bulgaria and Poland. “Our two countries have not had such active contacts in the field of defence and security in ten years,” said Poland's National Defence Minister Bogdan Klich; he also underlined that the Polish Government supported Bulgaria’s efforts to join Schengen.

Earlier today, Minister Bogdan Klich was welcomed with military honours at a ceremony held at the Monument to the Unknown Soldier, Sofia.

On April 6th, at 07.45 hours local time (6.15 hrs Bulgarian time) a civilian tried to break and enter through the outer fence of Shipka Observation Point at the Kabul Airport. The breaker was spotted by the security guards. The Bulgarian military personnel acted in compliance with International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) Standard Operating Procedures. After warning shots were fired, the breaker was detained by the rapid reaction task force.

Statement by the Prime Minister of Bulgaria

The regime of Moammar Gaddafi lost all legitimacy. It has used disproportionate military force against the Libyan people and cased the death of hundreds of Libyan citizens. For us in Bulgaria, the true character of the regime of Colonel Gaddafi has been visible for a number of years now.

Despite repeated calls from the international community, the regime refused to initiate reforms, dialogue or respond to just demands of the Libyan people. Instead, Colonel Qaddafi called those who want change, "rats" and "drug addicts" and continued to murder his own population. This is not just illegal, it is inhumane.

That is why the Security Council adopted Resolution 1973/2011. It gives a mandate to protect the Libyan people from attacks by the regime, creates conditions for the international control of the skies over Libya, and tightens the arms and economic embargo. Bulgaria welcomes the fast that the Resolution was supported by the League of Arab States. Their support is further evidence that the operation, which group of countries have begun in recent days is a legitimate, necessary and correct.

Now that the Gaddafi military machine is crippled, it is time for NATO to take command of the operation. We stand ready to participate in future NATO and EU missions that will ensure full implementation of Resolution 1973/2011. We are ready to participate in imposing the arms embargo through a naval blockade and providing humanitarian support.

The future of Libya is in the hands of the Libyan people. They need to reach agreement on how their state should be organized and governed in the future. Bulgaria believes that we can assist in this process.

Our country may participate in an embargo enforcement operation and humanitarian mission

Today, Prime Minister Boyko Borisov convened a meeting to discuss the situation in Libya. The officials who participated in the meeting were Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Tsvetan Tsvetanov, Minister of Foreign Affairs Nickolay Mladenov, Minister of Defence Anu Anguelov, Chief of Defence General Simeon Simeonov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Dimiter Tzanchev, as well as the Chairperson of the State Agency for National Security (SANS), the Director of the National Intelligence Service (NIS), and the Chief of the Military Information Service.

The senior officials discussed options for Bulgarian participation in actions relating to the implementation of UNSC Resolution 1973(2011) and assessed the situation in Libya in light of the fact that some Bulgarian citizens still haven’t left the country.

“Bulgaria condemns the actions undertaken by the Gaddafi regime against civilians. He has lost legitimacy and must step down before more innocent human blood is shed. Bulgaria will support a decision based on international law and the UN Security Council resolutions. At the same time, we are resolved to fulfill our allied commitments to NATO and the EU,” Prime Minister Borisov affirmed after the meeting.

The Republic of Bulgaria backs the efforts of the international community aimed at imposing a no-fly zone over Libya, but does not participate in the operation on its imposition. Different options for our country’s participation in the arms embargo enforcement and humanitarian aid provision were discussed. “Establishing control over Libyan airspace is key to prevention of the regime’s attacks on civilians,” Defence Minister Anu Angelov said, adding that “Bulgaria may participate in embargo enforcement operations by committing, if need be, a Bulgarian Navy frigate, and it may also contribute to humanitarian missions.”

The future of Libya is in the hands of Libyan people. There is no way back for Colonel Gaddafi; he cannot re-establish the status quo through reprisals. From this point onwards, the international community, on the grounds of UNSC Resolution 1973, will do what it takes to stop Gaddafi’s aggression aimed at his own people, Minister Nickolay Mladenov emphasized. Later today meetings will be held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, involving the participation of NATO, EU and Arab League Ambassadors, where the latter will be advised of Bulgaria’s position.

Bulgarian Foreign Minister called upon Bulgarian citizens remaining in Libya to keep in contact with our Embassy in Tripoli and if possible, not to expose themselves to unnecessary risks.

A meeting of the Security Council under the Prime Minister is to be held at the beginning of next week with the objective of discussing the situation in North Africa and the Middle East.

“We are ready to contribute to the humanitarian operation to be conducted by NATO and the EU by deploying medical teams to the borders with Egypt and Tunisia,” Minister Anguelov declared in the National Assembly today, March 19th. “We will not be able to contribute aircraft to secure the no-fly zone since Bulgarian MiG-29 and MiG-21 are not compatible with NATO aircraft. They continue to guard Bulgarian airspace, performing air policing tasks,” he added. Minister Anguelov explained that Bulgaria is ready to send a frigate to take part in the enforcement of the arms embargo at sea. “This issue will be discussed and decided upon by the Council of Ministers,” he pointed out.

In reply to journalists’ questions, Minister Anguelov elucidated that to date no request has been made to Bulgaria for the deployment of military forces, and that there will be no need to use NATO bases located in countries such as Bulgaria, which are so far away from Libya, in the event that military action is taken against the Jamahiriya by the Alliance. “There are bases in Italy, in Spain, and on the Greek Island of Crete, which are closer to Libya, and from the strategic perspective are more appropriate for use,” he added.

“Bulgaria is a member of NATO and the EU, and our representatives take part in all meetings of NATO’s Military Committee, of the EU Military Committee, and of the North-Atlantic Council,” Minister Anguelov said, and explained that the planning process is now being completed regarding the involvement of NATO in implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1973.

“Bulgaria cannot feel threatened in any way,” Minister Anguelov underlined, adding that the military have not been set to a higher level of readiness, but 24-hour duty is maintained at the Ministry of Defence and a task force has been set up, incorporating both the military and the civilian expertise, which is placed under the leadership of the Chief of Defence and assigned the task of keeping a close watch on the situation in Libya.

Today, March 17th, NATO’s Initiative aimed at the introduction of a policy of openness and transparency in the processes of defence management and countering corruption was presented at the meeting of the South-Eastern Europe Defence Ministerial Coordination Committee (SEDM-CC). As Susan Pond, Senior Officer at the Political Affairs and Security Policy Division, NATO HQ, emphasised in her statement, Bulgaria did best in the self-assessment process as compared to the rest of the participating countries.

The participants in the meeting pointed out the importance of the Building Integrity Initiative as a tool successfully employed to enhance both transparency and accountability and counter-corruption activities. The SEDM Coordination Committee adopted a decision to launch a procedure for the initiation of a new Project between South-East European Countries on cooperation in that field. Taking into account Bulgaria’s experience in the self-assessment process, the Bulgarian Chairmanship of SEDM was assigned the task of elaborating a draft concept of the Project, which will subsequently be sent to the countries for consideration.

The participants in the meeting, chaired by SEDM-CC’s chair Deputy Minister Avgustina Tsvetkova, reviewed four projects managed by South-East European countries. The aforementioned projects are small-scale and pertain to border security (CBSC), interconnection of military hospitals (IMIHO), and SEE military education cooperation (SEMEC). It was noted that a command and staff exercise is being organized under the crisis management simulation project, to be held in Bulgaria in 2012 (SEESIM 12).

The participants in the forum also approved the agenda for the meeting of the Deputy Chiefs of the General Staffs of the Armed Forces of the South-East European countries, to be held in Istanbul on June 9th.

“Closer cooperation between individual countries, pooling and sharing capabilities and costs, as well as developing joint capabilities, is what will make NATO a stronger and more efficient Alliance,” said Defence Minister Anu Anguelov at the Fourth Forum on Euro-Atlantic Security in Warsaw, Poland. The Minister participated in a Round Table entitled “Evaluation of the Results from Lisbon from the viewpoint of the basic tasks of the Alliance.” “It is the joint multinational solution that will provide for so much needed added value to NATO’s efforts towards the 21st century risks and threats response,” he added.

“Closer coordination is much needed where capabilities are costly in view of acquisition, maintenance and personnel training, which in turn will allow us to find the best possible joint solutions and approaches,” Minister Anguelov said. Later on in his lecture he illustrated his words by specific examples relating to building Air and Naval capabilities. Minister Anguelov brought up the Air Policing Agreement entered into between Bulgaria and Greece as a case in point and announced that a similar Agreement is in the process of preparation to be signed with Romania, and negotiations with Turkey are in progress. He also emphasised the importance of South-Eastern Europe Multinational Peace Force operational capabilities and reiterated Bulgaria’s proposal that SEEBRIG HQ be permanently deployed in our country.

Minister Anguelov also touched on the events which have recently come into the focus of attention of the international community: the political processes in the Arabic world and particularly in Libya, on the one hand, and the devastating earthquake in Japan on the other. “After the abovementioned events, we may stop referring to NATO’s Strategic Concept adopted in Lisbon as the “New Strategic Concept.” The Libyan case and the difficult coordination that marked the immediate actions undertaken by NATO and EU member states showed us that we need to improve our capabilities regarding better situation awareness, which will in turn enable us to take more effective and timely measures.” The Minister added that in order to be more effective, we have to look into additional mechanisms to improve information exchange between member states, as well as to further strengthen the intelligence information cooperation between NATO and the EU.

The two events mentioned above raise yet another pressing issue which deserves attention: the need for NATO to develop contingency plans, which, combined with relevant intelligence information, will allow us to respond in a prompt, decisive and appropriate way. In conclusion, Minister Anguelov restated that it was of vital importance that NATO Headquarters develop defence plans for South-Eastern Europe in order to make it clear for the public in the SEE countries that the Alliance is committed to their defence.

Other participants in the forum were the Secretary General of NATO Anders Fogh Rasmussen and the Defence Ministers of Poland, Estonia, Croatia, Hungary, Lithuania, Romania, Latvia, Albania and the Czech Republic. Slovenia and Slovakia were represented by their Ambassadors.

“The Republic of Bulgaria is deeply concerned about the crisis in Libya and strongly condemns the violence, disproportional use of force and indiscriminate attacks on civilians that could escalate into a civil war,” Deputy Defence Minister Avgustina Tsvetkova said today, March 15th, in her speech addressing the participants in the meeting of the Defence Ministers of the countries of the South Eastern Europe Cooperation Process (SEECP).

The two-day international forum was held in Budva, Montenegro, and was attended by the Defence Ministers of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Turkey; the Deputy Ministers of Greece, Romania, and Slovenia; representatives of NATO Headquarters, the OSCE, and RACVIAC.

Deputy Minister Tsvetkova underlined that the “regional ownership” principle gives the countries more responsibilities in resolving their problems themselves. She highlighted the importance of the development of political-military regional initiatives as part of the Euro-Atlantic perspective of the region.

In the context of the defence sector transformation process in the region of SEE, Deputy Minister Tsvetkova pointed out the NATO-EAPC Building Integrity Initiative, which has already proved to be a successful tool and assists Allies and Partners in developing practical mechanisms for strengthening transparency and accountability, for promoting good governance and best practices in management in the defence and security sector. “Bulgaria has already completed its Integrity Self-Assessment Process and we are open and ready to share our experience with the SEE countries,” said Deputy Minister Tsvetkova.

Another issue discussed at the meeting was the one pertaining to the development of regional multinational capabilities. In this regard, Bulgaria’s proposal for possible permanent deployment of the Headquarters of the South-Eastern Europe Brigade (SEEBRIG) was also considered.

The proposals put forward by Bulgaria, regarding condemnation of violence in Libya and permanent deployment of the Headquarters of the South-Eastern Europe Brigade (SEEBRIG) in Bulgaria, were laid out in the Joint Declaration adopted unanimously by the participants in the international forum.

Defence Minister Anu Anguelov took part in the meeting of NATO Defence Ministers in ISAF format on the second day of the Defence Ministerial Meetings in Brussels. The session, dedicated to the situation in Afghanistan, involved representatives of all 48 nations contributing to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). Emphasis was given to the fact that ISAF is the largest coalition in world history, made possible owing to the values it evinces: freedom, human rights, democracy. The meeting commenced with a briefing on the current situation in Afghanistan. It was pointed out that since the last ministerial meeting in the same format held in Lisbon, many positive developments have taken place in Afghanistan. Those have made it possible to plan a gradual step-by-step transfer of security and government responsibilities to the Afghan administration. It is of key importance that local administration ensures order and peace in the areas of responsibility. The participants in the meeting outlined the principles, conditions and approaches to be applied to the transition. It was explicitly stressed that the transition is a process and not a single event, and that it cannot be assigned a start date or an end date, as it hinges on the results achieved on the ground. The participants agreed on the importance of the regional approach and the need for positively engaging in the process the countries neighbouring Afghanistan. Among the attendees was Afghan Defence Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak, who thanked all nations for their contribution.

While in Brussels, Minister Anguelov held a bilateral meeting with Georgian Defence Minister Bachana Akhalaia and the delegation headed by him. A wide range of issues were discussed in relation to the situation in the Black Sea Region and the Caucasus and with the advancement of the transformations in the field of defence, ongoing in both countries. Minister Anguelov reiterated Bulgarian support for the process of cooperation between Georgia and NATO, as well as for the high Georgian contribution in Afghanistan. In terms of bilateral ties, the two Ministers discussed options for training Georgian military personnel at the NATO standardized Language Centre located at the National Military University in Shumen, as well as organizing joint trainings at the unit level. Bulgaria offered Georgia assistance with the standardization process. Another issue that came into focus were the options the intensification of bilateral dialogue in the field of defence.

„Bulgaria is ready to cede its title to flight hours on strategic military airlifter C-17, “ Minister Anu Anguelov announced, “We are ready to contribute two military teams from the Military Medical Academy to participate in actions along Libyan borders with Egypt and Tunisia,” he added. “We do not envision other participation since at present we do not have at our disposal either airlift or sealift vehicles to engage in providing humanitarian aid,” Minister Anguelov said in Brussels, where he is now taking part in the Informal Meeting of NATO Defence Ministers.

At the sessions, Minister Anguelov stated that Bulgaria supports the three principles laid out in NATO’s Decision with regard to the hypothesis of military intervention on the part of the Alliance in the Libya conflict, according to which clear need for NATO engagement is to be present, as well as unambiguous legal grounds, provided by a new UN Security Council (UNSC) Resolution, and the firm support of the countries in the region.

Minister Anguelov elucidated that UNSC Resolution 1970 authorises taking political action, providing humanitarian aid, and building a Sea and Air Bridge to enable delivery of food and goods, as well as enable evacuation of people wishing to leave Libya.

Minister Anguelov pointed out that the Ministers participating in the meeting have decided that the forces and assets deployed to the region and performing various tasks be concentrated in the central part of the Mediterranean Sea in order to observe compliance with the UNSC Resolution on imposing arms embargo. He added that NATO’s military expertise continues planning on various options with regard to the possible solutions to this crisis.

“All my colleagues share the same worries concerning the aggravation of the situation in Libya, the increase of the use of violence against civilians, and the use of heavy armament, including aircraft,” Minister Anguelov said. “We condemned the use of violence against civilians and came to the conclusion that we need to coordinate the efforts made by the UN, the EU, the African Union, the Arab League, and the Islamic Conference,” he added. During the meetings, Minister Anguelov emphasised that countries neighbouring Libya should also take part in action which is possible to be taken in order to resolve the conflict in Libya.

The Minister of Defence Mr. Anu Anguelov will participate in the two-day Informal Meeting of NATO Defence Ministers, commencing today, March 10th, in Brussels.
The situation in Libya will be the topic of the first working session. The Defence Ministers will discuss options for action to be taken by NATO, taking account of the various possible scenarios for the development of the situation in the country and the region.
Other central topics to be covered at the meetings include transformation of the defence forces and capabilities of the Alliance, the reform of the Command Structure and the NATO Agencies, and the cyber defence.
At the working dinner, the Ministers will discuss various initiatives and approaches to capabilities building under conditions of budgetary constraints.

On the second day of the Informal Meetings, the Defence Ministers will hold a session in ISAF format, at which they will discuss NATO’s operation in Afghanistan with participating representatives of the ISAF partner countries. Another issue to be discussed is the army and police reform in Afghanistan and the gradual handover of responsibility for the security in the country to the Afghan Army and Police Forces.

The Deputy Minister of Defence Avgustina Tzvetkova who participates in a conference taking place in Monterey, USA, and dedicated to the risk of corruption in the sphere of defence, presented today, 24 February 2011, a lecture on the topic “Building Integrity and Reducing the Risk of Corruption in Defence Institutions”. The three-day forum is organized by NATO, and is a part of the initiative of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council.

In her lecture, Deputy Minister Tzvetkova quotes the documents and points to the specific measures undertaken by the leadership of the Ministry of Defence which serve as a base to counteract corruption in the defence institution. She gives prominence to the work of the Standing Committee on Anti-corruption that was the first step in institutionalizing the fight against ineligible practices, a body tasked with developing the fundamental legal documents necessary to deal with corrupt practices.

In her presentation, Deputy Minister Tzvetkova lays emphasis on the results of Self-assessment Questionnaire  completed by the Ministry of Defence  in the framework of the "Building Integrity Initiative” in September  and December 2010.  It was subjected to a Peer Review by a NATO team and Transparency International representatives whose final report states that the achievements are impressive and the message to address corruption practices is clearly understood at all levels across the MoD and subordinate bodies.

Further on, Deputy Minister Avgustina Tzvetkova outlines the corruption susceptible areas in the defence field, and draws attention to the fact that the Ministry of Defense plans to develop an Action Plan, which will specify future steps to prevent corrupt practices in the Ministry’s defence system. You can read the complete text of Deputy Minister Avgustina Tzvetkova’s lecture here.

The Minister of Defense Anu Angelov departs today, 24 February 2011, for Hungary to participate in a two-day informal meeting of the ministers of defence of the EU member-states.  The meeting will be conducted on 24 and 25 February 2011 in Budapest within the framework of the Hungary’s rotational Chairmanship of the Council of the European Union.  The Chairperson of the meeting will be the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton. NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen,  representatives of the European Commission, the Military Committee of the EU, the Military Secretariat of the EU, the Council of the EU, the commanders of military operations of the EU, and the Chief Executive of the European Defence Agency will take part in the meeting as well.

The Meeting will begin on 24 February 2011 with a working dinner during which the commanders of military operations of the EU will present detailed information.  Building regional capabilities in the seas  in the zone of the Horn of Africa,  and in the western parts of the Indian ocean, the preparation of the Somali security forces and the future role of the EU in relation to Bosnia and Herzegovina and to Altea operation will be discussed during the working dinner. 

On the following day, the ministers of defense of the EU member countries will discuss issues related to the basic directions in the Common Security and Defense Policy, and the cooperation with other international organizations (NATO and UN).

The Deputy Minister of Defense Avgustina Tzvetkova departs today, 22 February 2011, for Monterey, California, USA, where she will take part in the conference dedicated to the topic “Building Integrity”.  The three-day forum is organized by NATO, and is a part of the initiative of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council.

The Conference will explore the risk of corruption in the defense sector and review progress of the Building Integrity Initiative. The participants will share their experience and discuss ways to strengthen the Building Integrity Initiative as they move forward with the implementation of its next phase. They will outline new approaches and new tools to support national efforts in the sphere of the fight against corruption.

Within the framework of the forum, Deputy Minister Tzvetkova will present a lecture on the topic “Building Integrity and Reducing the Risk of Corruption in Defense Institutions”.

General Stéphane Abrial, Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, NATO, will open the Conference.  Representatives of NATO Headquarters, NATO Allied Joint Force Command Brunsum, the ISAF Headquarters, NATO Training Mission – Afghanistan, of the US academic community, representatives of nongovernmental organizations and of mass media will participate in this important event.

The medical team from the Military Medical Academy (MMA) working in the local military hospital of the Afghan National Army (ANA) in Kandahar, delivered their first Afghan baby at the weekend. The father is an officer of the local army. The baby boy, who weighed 2.750 kg and was 48 cm long, was named Atal. The delivery team was headed by Maj. Dr. Milena Stoyanova, obstetrician, and the midwife Nadezhda Novoselska.

The MMA medical specialists team, led by Capt. Dr. Dimiter Cholakov, left for Kandahar in December. The team comprises a military surgeon, an anaesthesiologist-intensivist, obstetrician, dentist and three nurses.

This is the first MMA team to be sent to the local hospital in Kandahar, which will train Afghan military doctors and will treat mostly Afghan military personnel and members of their families.

Servicemen from the Bulgarian military contingent which is part of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) have made a donation for the local inhabitants of the village of Dekh Haya. The village is situated in the Deh Sabz District (meaning “green valley”) in the Province of Kabul. The Bulgarian servicemen gave a water tank, vacuum flasks and blankets to the school for boys and youths Sayed Zewaruddin Khan, which educates nearly 2,000 students, as well as sets of winter and summer clothes for the village children. The donation was presented by National Commanders Colonel Veselin Tsekovski and Colonel Atanas Gerdzhikov during a meeting with elder Gulam Gaus, representative of the Deh Sabz District, the school Headmaster Sayed Mahbub Shah and other village elders. Servicemen from the Bulgarian contingent also took part in the meeting.

Among the issues discussed during the talks were issues pertaining to the security of the population in the Deh Sabz District. It was pointed out that such initiatives contribute to the development of good relationship between the local population and the Bulgarian servicemen.

Minister Anu Anguelov received H.E. Mr. Ismail Aramaz, Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey to Bulgaria, at the Ministry of Defence today, 14 February. This is the first meeting between the two since the beginning of Ambassador Aramaz’s mandate, and it provided them with the opportunity to discuss a number of issues relating to the bilateral defence cooperation. Minister Anguelov shared his satisfaction with the outcome of his recent visit to the Republic of Turkey and with the meetings held with the Minister of National Defence Vecdi Gönül and other representatives of the Government and of the defence industry. Minister Anguelov and Ambassador Aramaz characterized the visit as an important impetus for the defence relations between the two countries, which are open and pragmatic in nature, and reaffirmed the cooperation within various regional forums and organization in the Black Sea Region and South-Eastern Europe and the cooperation between the military industrial bases of Bulgaria and Turkey as spheres of mutual interest for both countries.

Earlier today Minister Anguelov also had talks with the Ambassador of the State of Israel H.E. Mr. Noah Gal Gendler. The two discussed options for deepening of the defence cooperation between the two countries, as based on the principles laid out in the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Defence Ministries of Bulgaria and Israel on 11. 01. 2010. Minister Anguelov and H.E. Gendler agreed that the aforementioned document provides good basis for the elaboration of more detailed documents to regulate the practical interaction in various areas of the defence cooperation, such as, inter alia, joint trainings and the defence industry. The key events will be outlined in a Bilateral Cooperation Program for 2011.

Today, February 8th, at the Ministry of Defence, the Bulgarian-Russian Permanent Working Group on Military and Technical Cooperation completed its 10th anniversary session. The Deputy Minister of Defence Valentin Radev, the Director of the Russian Federal Military and Technical Cooperation Service Mikhail Vladimirovich Petukhov, and the Deputy Minister of Economy, Energy and Tourism Evgeni Anguelov signed a Protocol of the session of the Bulgarian-Russian Permanent Working Group on Military and Technical Cooperation.

Understandings reached at the meetings pertain to the overhaul and operation of Mi-17 and Mi-24 helicopters, their modifications, logistics support for the MiG-29 aircraft, as well as repair of Russian ships at TEREM – Flotski Arsenal, Varna. Upon signature of the Protocol, Deputy Minister Radev thanked the Russian experts, Russian Federation Embassy, experts from the Ministry of Economy, Energy and Tourism and from the Ministry of Defence, and the representatives of the business for their professional work on the preparation of the documentation on all four of the above issues subject of the talks. In conclusion, Deputy Minister Radev said: “During the 10th anniversary session, all experts worked hard and competently. The basic principles underlying our common work with regard to the issues discussed were dialogue and pragmatism. We have achieved substantial results and have reached an understanding on long-term cooperation. We were successful in agreeing on the text of the Intergovernmental Agreement, important for both parties, concerning the overhaul of Russian helicopters at Bulgarian defence industry companies, whose signature is forthcoming.”

Rear Admiral Valentin L. Gagashev and Brigadier General Dincho I. Karamunchev were presented with medals for outstanding meritorious service while serving as Senior Military Representatives and Commanders of NATO Headquarters in Skopje and Tirana. The medals were awarded on the recommendation of the Honorable Raymond E. „Ray” Mabus, Secretary of the Navy of the United States of America and presented by Colonel David J. Wilmot, U.S. Defense Attaché to the Republic of Bulgaria. The ceremony was held today, February 4th, at the Ministry of Defense.

Rear Admiral Valentin Gagashev and Brigadier General Dincho Karamunchev were decorated with this high military award of the U.S. for their professionalism and initiative, demonstrated while serving at NATO Headquarters in Macedonia and Albania, as well as for the support provided to the respective countries on the road to NATO membership.

Rear Admiral Valentin Gagashev served as Senior Military Representative and Commander, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Headquarters Skopje, from April 2009 to May 2010. As the citation reads, “Brigadier Admiral Gagashev consistently demonstrated outstanding vision and professionalism in leading his Headquarters through constant transition, while simultaneously representing NATO at the highest levels in a diverse, multi-national environment. His keen focus on the current NATO mission in Skopje ensured the highest quality advice and support to the host nation authorities.”

Brigadier General Dincho Karamunchev served as Senior Military Representative and Commander, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Headquarters Military Accession Integration and Liaison Team, Tirana, Albania, from August 2009 to June 2010. As the citation reads, “Brigadier General Karamunchev consistently demonstrated outstanding vision and professionalism in leading the Headquarters through a period of transition following Albania’s entry to NATO. His command presence and wise leadership of a multi-national staff ensured continued and stable focus on the current NATO mission in Albania. Brigadier General Karamunchev provided the highest quality of support to both the Host Nation authorities and to Allied Joint Force Command, Naples. He led the establishment of the Host Nation Support Coordination Center in preparation of the new Albanian Armed Forces structure.”

The awarding ceremony was attended by Deputy Defense Ministers Ms. Avgustina Tsvetkova and Mr. Valentin Radev, US Deputy Chief of Mission Susan M. Sutton, and Deputy Chief of Defense Major General Yordan Yordanov. In her address to the senior Bulgarian officers, Deputy Minister Tsvetkova extended gratitude on behalf of the leadership of the Ministry of Defense for having successfully completed their mission, which was highly praised by the President of the United States, and emphasized that this reflected great credit also upon the work of the Ministry of Defense and the Bulgarian Armed Forces.

Today, February 2nd, Deputy Defence Minister Augustina Tsvetkova awarded 4th Company with Mission Participation Certificate for activities in the Kabul Airport defence perimeter. The certificate was received by Colonel Atanas Gerdzhikov, national representative of the contingent. The ceremony for the deployment of the Bulgarian Company for participation in the operation of NATO in Afghanistan was held in Pleven.

“I wish to extend my most heartfelt gratitude to all of you for the efforts you put into your training. And above all, allow me to thank your families and relations, who have supported your tough choice to participate in the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) operation,” Deputy Minister Tsvetkova said in her address to the military servicemen. “Allow me to assure you that the leadership of the Ministry of Defence is doing and will keep doing all that is necessary in order to assure the performance of your tasks in Kabul,” she pointed out.

Fourth Company for action in the Kabul Airport defence perimeter is part of the composition of the Fifth Mechanized Brigade, Pleven. One hundred and nineteen military servicemen have participated in more than one mission abroad. The Company also comprises 11 servicewomen. Company Commander is Major Plamen Parashkevov Goranov.

Today, February 4th, Defence Minister Anu Anguelov met with his Swedish counterpart during his official visit to the Kingdom of Sweden. He was received with a military honours ceremony carried out by the Royal Guard, the King of Sweden’s guard of honour, at the Karlberg Palace.

The two Ministers discussed the status of the bilateral military cooperation, as well as the new security and defence challenges facing the two countries. They reaffirmed the military-technical and the military-economic cooperation, the education and training, as well as the preparation for peacekeeping operations, as spheres of mutual interest outlined as early as 2006 in a Memorandum of Understanding on Defence Cooperation signed between the two countries. Minister Anguelov and Minister Tolgfors agreed that the practical results in the areas identified need a new impetus, taking into account the fact that since the year 2006 the Joint Coordinating Committee on Bulgarian-Swedish bilateral cooperation has met twice, and declared their willingness to elaborate a Bilateral Military Cooperation Programme for 2011.

Minister Anguelov and Minister Tolgfors also talked about the status and prospects of the overall relationship between the two countries. Minister Anguelov thanked his Swedish counterpart for his country’s support provided in the course of Bulgaria’s EU accession process, and pointed out that it is the accession to the Schengen area that is now a very important point in the agenda of our country, and that Bulgaria will continue to count on Sweden’s assistance and support for that endeavour.

One the main topics of discussion was the EU Common Defence and Security Policy (CDSP), as well as the coordination and cooperation between the EU and NATO. Minister Anguelov welcomed the initiative proposed by Sweden and Germany for “efforts pooling and resources sharing” by the EU, as a form of intensive cooperation within the framework of EU CDSP, as well as at the regional level. In this regard, Minister Anguelov called attention to the role played by the South-Eastern Europe Defence Ministerial (SEDM) Process as a key regional defence initiative, which may induce the countries to deepen international relations. The two Ministers identified similarities between the regional initiatives in which the two respective countries take part, and emphasized their importance in the context of restricted defence budgets, yet a growing need for reform, development of new capabilities and committed participation in missions and operations in support of international peace and security. They exchanged information regarding the participation of both countries in missions abroad.

Another issue discussed by Minister Anguelov and Minister Tolgfors was related to the similar defence sector transformation and reform processes going on in both countries, and the two Ministers exchanged opinions on the future Plans for the Development of the Armed Forces of Bulgaria and Sweden, Horizon 2014. As common goals ahead of the two armed forces, they defined building more capabilities, greater mobility, interoperability and usability of troops in the territories of the countries and in international missions and operations. “It is evident that we are side by side in the reform process – we should sustain the dialogue and exchange experience,” said Minister Anguelov and invited his counterpart Minister Tolgfors to pay an official visit to Bulgaria.

Another issue the talks dwelled on was the Request for Information (RFI) concerning the Investment Project for the acquisition of a new type of multirole fighter which was sent to Sweden. The president of the Swedish Defence and Security Export Agency of the Ministry of Defence, Mr. Ulf Hamerstroem, assured Minister Anguelov that Sweden will provide the information requested by March.

Today, February 3rd, Defence Minister Anu Anguelov visited Swedish Defense Group SААВ and had talks with representatives thereof within the framework of his official visit to the Kingdom of Sweden.

SААВ Group is a leading manufacturer of military aircraft and avionics, and is interested in participating in the modernization of the Bulgarian Air Force. SAAB’s fourth generation fighter GRIPEN is currently in service with the Swedish Air Force, the Czech Air Force, the Hungarian Air Force, the Royal Thai Air Force and the South African Air Force.

Minister Anguelov acquainted the management of the company with the ongoing transformation processes within the defence sector aimed at building new capabilities for the Armed Forces, and informed them of the forthcoming elaboration and presentation to the National Assembly of a Long-Term Investment Plan. In this regard, he identified the Project for the acquisition of a new type of multirole fighter, equipped and armed in compliance with NATO standards, as a key and vitally important one with respect to Air Force’s new capabilities. Minister Anguelov explained that the Ministry of Defence has sent Requests for Information (RFI) concerning the aforementioned investment projects to NATO and EU countries which are leading manufacturers of fighters, including to Sweden. In this context, he emphasized the importance of his meeting with SAAB’s representatives within the framework of his visit to Sweden as regards gathering as much information as possible on existing options for the acquisition of GRIPEN fighters. Lennart Sindahl, Executive Vice President and Head of Saab Business Area Aeronautics, reaffirmed SAAB’s intent to participate in future multirole fighter acquisition procedures and presented in detail the features and specification of the fighter, as well as the accompanying logistic support, training, offset programmes, etc.

Today, January 21st, Minister Anguelov received Lieutenant General Frank J. Kisner, Commander, NATO Special Operations Headquarters, who is visiting Bulgaria on the invitation of General Simeon Simeonov, Chief of Defence.

“Your visit coincides with a time that is very important to us, in the context of the ongoing implementation of the Plan for the Development of the Bulgarian Armed Forces, as endorsed by the Council of Ministers at the end of last year,” Minister Anguelov emphasised. Taking into consideration the role played by the Special Forces in modern-day operations, he noted the expectations on the part of Member States that NATO Special Operations Headquarters develop unified standards, procedures and requirements to the transformation of the Alliance’s capabilities in that area, and contribute to the development of the doctrinal base on the national level. Currently on the agenda of the Ministry of Defence is the task to develop and adopt a Concept and Doctrine for the Special Operations Forces, which is to be synchronized with Allied documents.

General Kisner expressed his gratitude for the political support for the transformation of the NATO Special Operations Forces and for the establishment of the Headquarters. Bulgaria was one of the 23 Member States to support the initiative from the onset, and is currently represented at the Headquarters with one officer. General Kisner acquainted Minister Anguelov with the ongoing activities of the Headquarters and underlined the need for the Special operations Forces to be structured and prepared for action in multinational environment, in joint operations, and to take into account the comprehensive approach with regard to the conduct of such operations. He assured the Minister of Defence that the HQ will do its best to complete the tasks set to it by the North-Atlantic Council aimed at transforming the capabilities and assisting the Member States to improve the expeditionary nature of their forces.

During his visit, General Kisner will meet with the Chief of Defence General Simeon Simeonov and representatives of the Special Forces of the Army and of the Navy.

As part of his visit to Bulgaria, Major General Terry Haston, Adjutant General, Tennessee State Guard, was received today, January 19th, by Major General Stefan Vasilev, Chief of the Land Forces, by Lieutenant General Atanas Samandov, Commander of the Joint Operational Command, and by Major General Konstantin Popov, Chief of the Air Force.

The participants in the meeting held at the Land Forces HQ discussed the progress made in the area of bilateral cooperation and outlined the way ahead for future extended partnership.

The emphasis of the talks held at the Joint Operational Command HQ was the Bulgarian contribution to NATO’s International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan (ISAF) by means of Operational Mentor and Liaison Teams (OMLTs). Among the issues discussed were such relating to the cooperation between the Bulgarian Armed Forces and Tennessee’s State Guard in the field of training.

The discussions at the Air Force HQ covered issues such as the development of the bilateral cooperation, focusing on training of specialists for the transport aviation. General Haston shared the experience of Tennessee State Guard in natural disaster relief and recovery.

Today, January 18th, Defence Minister Anu Anguelov received Major General Terry Haston, Adjutant General, Tennessee State Guard, who is on a visit to Bulgaria.

Minister Anguelov acquainted General Haston with the ongoing processes in the field of defence, as well with the main conclusions and inferences of the White Paper on Defence and Armed Forces and the Plan for the Development of the Armed Forces. “We now have an up-to-date basis for a new, more effective structure of the Armed Forces and for more efficient actions within the territory of the country and abroad. The Land Forces are beginning to train in a new way, based on manoeuvre battalion groups. We will gladly exchange experience and ideas in the course of the practical preparation of our modules for action in and reaction to a crisis situation,” Minister Anguelov shared. He presented to General Haston the ideas and arrangements regarding the adoption of a Reservist Act to include establishment of territorial reserve under the command of the local authorities, whose duties will involve assisting the population with crisis, emergency and disaster recovery. “With respect to the above, your experience may be of great use,” he added, “both with regard to interagency communication and coordination, and with regard to crisis response training of the troops, and of the citizens themselves.” General Haston shared that he was left with excellent impressions by the Bulgarian servicemen and by the quality of the training conditions in place at the joint facilities of Novo Selo and Charalitza National Military Training Complex.

The two leaders also discussed the situation in Afghanistan and the options for development of our joint efforts in the ISAF operation, where the Tennessee National Guard is strongly involved. Minister Anguelov and General Haston agreed that there has been very successful cooperation so far, as well as an untapped potential for other formats of joint activities.

Later on, Major General Terry Haston met with the Chief of Defence General Simeon Simeonov. At the meeting, General Simeonov informed General Haston of the Force Structure Review completed, and pointed out that its purpose was to build a single set of forces and a single leadership system, to be employed both in peace time and in time of crisis.

In turn, General Haston pointed at the fact that the Tennessee State Guard is constantly in the process of ongoing transformation, and expressed his desire that his servicemen keep having at their disposal the option for training in Bulgaria.

Tomorrow, January 19th, Major General Terry Haston will be received by Lieutenant General Atanas Samandov, Commander of the Joint Operational Command, as well as by the Chiefs of the Land Forces and of the Air Force, Major General Stefan Vasilev and Major General Konstantin Popov.

Encouraging the cooperation between the military –industrial complexes of Bulgaria and Turkey was the topic of the discussion in which participated Minister Anu Angelov and Murad Bayar - Under-Secretary for defense industry to the Ministry of National Defense of Turkey.

Minister Angelov expressed his satisfaction with the contacts established so far along the line of the military-technical and military-economic cooperation, and he underlined that these can me much more effective and productive. He said that the Agreement for military-technical cooperation between the Governments of Bulgaria and Turkey, dated from the month of March 1992, was not in itself a good enough framework for achieving practical results, and he expressed his expectations  that a modern legislative base for the change will be developed, a document that the two countries both need.

Minister Anu Angelov and Murad Bayar outlined a number of opportunities for developing and intensifying the contacts between the military-industrial complexes of the two countries including the process of continuing the exchange of ideas and experience, mutual exchange of military delegations  for participation in international exhibitions of defense industry, joint long-term projects of a different nature, and the two ministers underlined the necessity to broaden the intergovernmental coordination.

Minister Angalov assessed as high the development of the Turkish defense industry and outlined the capabilities and the capacity of the industrial plants of TEREM Holding to the Ministry of defense. He delineated the tasks the Bulgarian Army and the military-industrial complex have to fulfill, and underlined that there exist opportunities for bilateral contacts and joint activities leading to modernization of the armed forces. 

Minister Angelov visited leading companies of the Turkish military-industrial complex within the framework of his visit as well. 

He met with representatives of state-owned giant ASELSAN, specializing in manufacturing electronic and communication systems, radars, optical systems and networks, navigation devices and avionics, and Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance; (C4ISR) technologies for the Army, Navy and Air Force. Minister Anguelov also had talks with the management of the state-owned company Turkish Aerospace Industries Inc. (TAI), and was shown around the some of the production facilities.
Within the framework of the official visit, Minister Anguelov also met with Nevzat Pakdil, - Vice-Chairman of Mejlis, the Parliament of Turkey. H.E. Anguelov and H.E. Pakdil praised highly the stable and active political dialogue between Bulgaria and Turkey at all levels. Minister Angelov marked the good communication in the sphere of defense with the Ministry of National Defense and with the General Staff of the Republic of Turkey, the successful conducting of joint exercises of the armies of the two countries, the excellent interaction in the framework of the regional security organizations. He made the following summary as a conclusion: “Our good-neighborly relations are an example of how the relations between two neighboring allied NATO member countries should develop.”

Today, 13 January 2011, Minister Anu Angelov met with the Minister of National Defense Vecdi Gonul at the Ministry of National Defense in Ankara, Turkey.
Minister Angelov and his Turkish colleague expressed their satisfaction with the already established forms of bilateral military cooperation, and agreed that these have to continue developing especially in the context of, on the one hand,  financial and budgetary constraints, and on the other the necessity to maintain and increase the capabilities of the armed forces. They distinguished as successful a series of initiatives including the exchange of units of the Land Forces trained for participation in peace support operations, the joint training of the Special Operations Forces, the participations with combat ships and observers in national maritime exercises, exchange of cadets in the military schools and defense staff colleges etc.  The signing of the annual Plan for cooperation in 2011, including planned activities of a different nature in the two countries is forthcoming.

The development of the contacts and cooperation related to the military-industrial complexes of Bulgaria and Turkey was marked as a sphere of mutual interest for the two counties. Minister Angelov will visit leading companies of the Turkish military-industrial complex within the framework of his visit as well.
Minister Angelov and Minister Gonul discussed the security and cooperation in the Black Sea region, and analyzed the perspectives opening before different regional forums and organizations. “Bulgaria is satisfied with the open and pragmatic character of the bilateral relations developed regularly at all levels. They are complemented by the intensive contacts related to NATO, and regionally by the SEDM process, the operational group BLACKSEAFOR and many other activities,” Minister Angelov said.

The participation of the two countries in ISAF mission in Afghanistan as well as topical NATO related issues were among the topics of the talks as well.

Minister Anu Angelov pays this official visit to the Republic of Turkey at the invitation extended to him by the Minister of the National Defense Vecdi Gonul. On his turn, Minister Angelov invited his Turkish colleague to pay an official visit to Bulgaria in order to continue the fruitful dialogue.

“With this meeting, we give a good impetus to our bilateral relations  in the sphere of defense and defense industry, and I look forward to the practical results of our talks,” Minister Angelov said before the representatives of the mass media. He expressed his condolences to the family members and the colleagues of the military personnel who died in the incident with the Turkish helicopter near Ankara.

Apart from the talks with Minister Gonul,   meetings with Nevzat Pakdil - Vice-Chairman of Mejlis, the Parliament of Turkey, and with Murad Bayar - Turkish Under-Secretary for defense industry to the Ministry of National Defense of Turkey are planned within the framework of the visit.

Earlier today, Minister Angelov laid a wreath and saw the museum part of the  Ataturk Mausoleum.

The delegation led by Minister Angelov includes the following members: Mr. Yordan Bozhilov -  Head of the Political Cabinet, Major-General Stefan Vassilev - Chief of Land Forces,  Brigadier General Rumen Radev - Deputy Chief of Air Force,  Commodore Rumen Nikolov - Deputy Chief of Navy, Brigadier General Stefan Yanev -  Chief of Defense Policy Directorate to the Ministry of Defense.

Minister Anu Angelov will pay a two-day official visit to the Republic of Turkey at an invitation extended to him by the Minister of National Defense Vecdi Gonul.

The goal of the visit is to continue the dialogue between Bulgaria and Turkey on defense and security issues, and to promote further the development of the cooperation in bilateral and regional perspective.

Minister Angelov and his Turkish colleague will discuss issues related to security and cooperation in the region as well as the state and perspectives in the bilateral relations between the two countries in the sphere of defense. The participation of Bulgaria and Turkey in ISAF mission in Afghanistan as well as topical NATO related issues will be included among the topics of discussion.

Apart from the talks with Minister Gonul,   meetings with Nevzat Pakdil - Vice-Chairman of Mejlis, the Parliament of Turkey, and with Murad Bayar - Turkish Under-Secretary for defense industry to the Ministry of National Defense of Turkey are planned.

Visits of the Bulgarian delegation to leading companies of the Turkish military-industrial complex are planned as well.

The delegation led by Minister Angelov includes the following members: Mr. Yordan Bozhilov -  Head of the Political Cabinet, Major-General Stefan Vassilev - Chief of Land Forces,  Brigadier General Rumen Radev - Deputy Chief of Air Force,  Commodore Rumen Nikolov - Deputy Chief of Navy, Brigadier General Stefan Yanev -  Chief of Defense Policy Directorate to the Ministry of Defense.