Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Petko Doуkov participated in the B-9 Ministerial Meeting (Bucharest Nine), which was held on March 10, 2020 in Vilnius, Lithuania. The meeting focused on the implementation of decisions contributing to the collective defense of NATO's eastern flank, and included an exchange of views on Russia, China, 5G information technology and security, NATO's role in the fight against terrorism and energy security.

Deputy Minister Doykov stressed that Bulgaria remains fully committed to achieving an increase in defense spending, reaching 3% of GDP in 2019. In addition to acquiring the first batch of F-16 fighter jets, Bulgaria is also implementing other major modernization projects for the Bulgarian Army. Emphasis on our part was placed on the importance of implementing the approved security measures in the Black Sea.

The B-9 format consists of nine NATO countries on the eastern flank (Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary and the Czech Republic). The format was launched in 2015 in response to Russia's aggression in Ukraine in 2014. Regular meetings are held at various levels (heads of state, foreign ministers, defense ministers, chiefs of defense) and aim to coordinate the issue of the need for deterrence and defense efforts on NATO's eastern flank.

During his visit to Vilnius, Deputy Minister Petko Doykov held a meeting with his Lithuanian counterpart, Albanian Zananavichus, to discuss the good development of bilateral cooperation and economic ties between the two countries. The significant increase in Lithuanian tourists who visited Bulgaria last year was highlighted, reaching 30,000. The Lithuanian country expressed its support for Bulgaria for our admission to the Schengen and Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The two interlocutors shared close positions of Lithuania and Bulgaria on issues on the European agenda - the Multiannual Financial Framework, the Mobility Package, cohesion policy.