"Bulgaria reaffirms its support for the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine," said the Foreign Minister Kristian Vigenin in his statement today at the meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission during the first day of the NATO Foreign Ministerial Meetings in Brussels. He encouraged the Ukrainian side to continue the open and inclusive political process with full protection of the rights of all minorities in the country. "We all need to prepare for a long and difficult path whose ultimate goal is a stable, democratic and prosperous Ukraine, irrevocably linked to the European Union," said Minister Vigenin, expressing Bulgaria’s readiness to provide the necessary support.

The Commission, in which Ukraine's interim Foreign Minister Andrei Deshitsa also participated, adopted a statement that confirms the countries’ commitment  to continue seeking a political solution to the crisis that respects international law and Ukraine’s internationally recognized borders.

The ministers decided to strengthen the cooperation between NATO and Ukraine within the existing formats, agreed a package of measures to support the Eastern partners, and decided to review the Alliance's relations with Russia. They confirmed  also the strengthening of the measures to ensure the security of the Allies.

During the first day, the foreign ministers also marked the anniversaries of the last three rounds of NATO enlargement  - the 15th anniversary of the accession of Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic, 10 years of membership of Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia and the 5th anniversary of the accession of Albania and Croatia. At the official ceremony, the NATO Secretary General greeted the 12 countries and the instruments of ratification of the countries’ accession to the Alliance were shown. In a joint statement,  the foreign ministers emphasized the importance of this historical process for the Euro-Atlantic integration and for the establishment of lasting peace, cooperation and stability in Europe. They identified the Open Door policy as one of the greatest achievements of the Alliance and confirmed their attachment to it.