–
–
Jens Stoltenberg in solidarity with Bulgaria
Russia is trying to undermine democratic institutions, interfere in domestic politics and strengthen its intelligence. In Bulgaria we have been observing the model of Russia’s behavior lately. This was said by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, commenting on the spy affair. Last week, prosecutors accused six Bulgarian former and current servicemen of sharing classified military information with Moscow.
Stoltenberg added that NATO allies are in solidarity with Bulgaria.
“The alliance as a whole
supports the efforts of
Bulgaria to fight
with the malicious
Russian activity ”,
Stoltenberg said after a meeting of pact foreign ministers in Brussels. As a message of solidarity, he cited the fact that member states are working together to boost intelligence by sharing intelligence. The NATO Secretary General recalled that he had discussed the issue in a telephone conversation with Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and our Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva.
The foreign ministers of the Alliance member states have also congratulated Bulgaria on its decisive actions in breaking up the espionage network in favor of Russia, said Ekaterina Zaharieva.
“It’s an attack on
sovereignty of
one side
and cannot be left without consequences. That is why we support everything that the Bulgarian government decides to do, “said German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas. According to him, it is increasingly happening that Germany is becoming a target of cyberattacks, misinformation and certainly espionage.
“That is why I show great understanding and solidarity when I see that Bulgaria is resisting this with the means we have at our disposal in diplomacy,” Maas added.
This is the Alliance’s first face-to-face meeting in more than a year. It was also the first with the participation of the newly appointed US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken. The focus of the discussion was the relations with Russia, as the opening of the network for unregulated collection of information in favor of Moscow, operating in our country, has become one of the central topics on the agenda.
“The actions of the Russian spy network in Bulgaria are a threat to the entire Euro-Atlantic community. We need a consistent and realistic approach to Russia and we must defend our values - freedom, democracy, rule of law, human rights, “said Ekaterina Zaharieva. The foreign ministers agreed that Russia was continuing its destabilizing actions despite years of diplomatic efforts, sanctions and attempts at dialogue. Diplomats reaffirmed the validity of NATO’s two-track approach, which combines strong deterrence and defense and openness to meaningful dialogue with Russia. (24 hours)
– .
