D. AVRAMOPOULOS: Today I am pleased to welcome here, at the Ministry of National Defence of Greece, my good friend and counterpart, Angel Naydenov, Defence Minister of the neighbouring and friendly country of Bulgaria.
Mr. Naydenov’s visit today, which takes place in return to my visit to Sofia last November, stresses and confirms indeed the excellent level, as well as the strategic character – as we had the opportunity to stress during our talks – of our bilateral relations which have been reinforced, developed, upgraded over the last years and culminated in the meetings of the Supreme Cooperation Councils of our countries in 2010 and 2012.
Two neighbouring countries, with very strong and deep historic ties, meeting each other is by itself a great event. But, on the other side, it deepens more the mutual confidence, respect and common perception, derived from new developments’ having emerged in our wider region. Bulgaria and Greece are members of the same family in NATO and the European Union and our common approach of the geopolitical developments bring us even closer. And both, we and the Bulgarian government wish to go even further, widening and reinforcing our cooperation in all sectors.
We share the same position in the area. We share a common Euro-Atlantic course. We are allies, real allies, friends, real friends and strategic partners. And we prove it actively every day.
So, today we had the opportunity to discuss about all matters of our defence cooperation at an absolutely bilateral level, but also in the framework of NATO and EU as well, and, of course, make decisions to promote them faster, as well as to further widen this cooperation.
The bilateral Military Cooperation Programme for the year 2014 is signed today, by the competent officials of our countries’ General Staffs. The quantitative, but mostly the qualitative upgrade of the Programme is another confirmation, another proof of the strategic character of our bilateral defence relations.
I would like, at this point, to say something that we stressed during our talks. The defence cooperation between Greece and Bulgaria does not turn against any other state. On the contrary, having chosen to play a stable and stabilising role against all challenges which emerge in our wider region, we contribute decisively to the creation, development and consolidation of an environment of security and stability. Greek-Bulgarian relations also in the field of defence are exemplary to all our neighbours and they discharge the Balkans from their burdensome past. Our guide is the future and it is exactly there that the term common approach is tested and confirmed in action.
Moreover, in the context of the NATO-level cooperation between our two countries, the Technical Agreement on cross-border aerial surveillance operations was signed by the Chiefs of the Air Force General Staffs, which is by itself another brilliant example of the Greek-Bulgarian cooperation.
A common principle is our approach of the international and regional problems we deal with. And, as you may know, many of them are developing and unfortunately the consequences and repercussions they may evoke are unpredictable.
Our common will is to go ahead with every matter that concerns us, sending everybody a message of peace and stability throughout the South-Eastern Europe. And this message is especially important today, when we experience an escalation of the destabilization in our wider region where, the borderline of instability starts from Ukraine and its surrounding area and ends in Tunisia, crossing Syria and North Africa. It’s on this line that Greece and Bulgaria are factors of stability with their strategy, their policy, their initiatives. Initiatives and actions like those which brought the two countries closer to each other.
I stress again that Greece and Bulgaria remain pillars of stability and security in the region. They cooperate closely, at a bilateral level, as well as within international organizations, such as – other than NATO and EU – the OSCE, the Council of Europe and the Organisation of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation for the settlement of the crisis in Ukraine.
During the meeting, I informed Mr. Naydenov also about the priorities of the Greek Presidency of the EU Council on security and defence, as well as on the extraordinary South-Eastern Europe Defence Ministerial meeting to be held in Athens in late April.
Our aim is to lay stronger foundations for cooperation among all countries of our region in the field of defence and especially in the field of defence cooperation.
Dear Minister, dear Angel,
I would like to thank you personally, your Chief of Defence, General Simeonov, who accompanies you, as well as the members of your delegation for the very useful, essential, honest, cordial and constructive talks we had today.
I am convinced that reinforcing our bilateral contacts will open new prospects to security and prosperity, not only for the citizens of our countries but for the citizens of our wider region of South-Eastern Europe as well.
My dear friend,
Minister, I thank you again and I ask you to have the floor.
Α. NAYDENOV (unofficial translation from Bulgarian):
Dear Mr. Avramopoulos, ladies and gentlemen,
I would like, first of all, to thank you for the very kind invitation I was extended by the Minister of Defence of the Hellenic Republic, to thank you for your cordial welcome and the excellent hospitality which the members of my delegation and I enjoy from the first moment we set our foot on Greek territory.
An dense political dialogue, confidence, friendship, I think these are the key words that best describe the relations between the Ministries of Defence of Greece and Bulgaria, and their respective Armed Forces.
I would dare to say that relations between Greece and Bulgaria in the field of defence and defence cooperation may be an example of relations that exist not only between two neighbouring countries, but between partners and allies in the context of NATO and the EU as well.
A partnership which does not turn against third countries, but is a relation of stability, confidence for the Balkans and South-Eastern Europe in general. I am convinced that this is our common contribution to this ambiance of stability and peace that we want to prevail over the European continent.
Once more, it is confirmed how great the potential of the relations between the two countries is in the field of defence and defence cooperation.
We reviewed the legal and operational basis on which we develop our partnership.
We enrich this basis with a new document which is signed. I would like to underline that by signing the final agreement which arranges issues and procedures for the unification of cross-border operations we complete this framework. Believe me, there are not many countries to have concluded such an agreement, even within NATO.
At the same time, we signed also the bilateral programme for new initiatives in the field of education and training of personnel using, of course, the capabilities provided by military educational institutions.
On this occasion I wish to say that the defence relation and cooperation between Greece and Bulgaria is strategic. There are many reasons that give me the right to characterise it as strategic. And it is this strategic relation that we can widen. In the context of the military cooperation there are many prerequisites. We have a rich common heritage, historical and cultural, many initiatives in the field of defence, investments, finances, energy.
I am sure that the efforts of both ministers, Mr. Avramopoulos and me, as well as of the Chiefs of Defence we contribute to updating and developing this cooperation.
A cooperation that is substantial, and not typical. And this is the joyful fact.
Thank you very much.