BRUSSELS, May 28 (BV)– NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte met Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev in Brussels on Thursday to discuss preparations for the upcoming NATO Summit in Ankara, while underscoring Bulgaria’s increasing contribution to the alliance’s security and defence efforts.
Rutte thanked Bulgaria for its role in strengthening NATO’s eastern flank, stressing the strategic importance of the Black Sea for the alliance’s security architecture.
“The Black Sea is of key importance to the NATO Alliance,” Rutte said, noting Bulgaria’s contribution to regional stability at a time of heightened security concerns across Eastern Europe.
The NATO chief highlighted Bulgaria’s hosting of NATO Forward Land Forces in Novo Selo and its continued participation in KFOR, NATO’s peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, which he said remains essential for maintaining security and stability in the Western Balkans.
Rutte also welcomed Sofia’s increased defence spending and investments in the Bulgarian defence industry, describing them as contributions that strengthen not only Bulgaria but the alliance as a whole.
The meeting forms part of a series of consultations ahead of the NATO Summit in Ankara in July, where alliance leaders are expected to discuss collective defence, burden-sharing, military readiness and the evolving security environment from the Black Sea to the Middle East.
The talks come amid growing attention on NATO’s eastern and southern flanks, as the alliance seeks to reinforce deterrence and maintain cohesion in an increasingly volatile geopolitical landscape.