International conference on the 75th anniversary of NATO and the 20th anniversary of Bulgaria and 6 other countries accession to the North Atlantic Alliance
29 May 2024 News
On 29 May this year, an international conference was held in Madrid entitled ‘Strength in Unity: 20th Anniversary of NATO's Expansion to Central and Eastern Europe" dedicated to the 75th anniversary of NATO's founding and the 20th anniversary of the accession of Bulgaria and 6 other countries to the North Atlantic Alliance. The meeting was organised by the embassies of Romania, Bulgaria, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Slovakia and Slovenia, which became full NATO members in 2004. The event was hosted by the Instituto de Cuestiones Internacioales y Política Exterior (INCIPE) (International Affairs and Foreign Policy Institute), one of the three most prestigious Spanish think tanks specialising in research and debate on Spanish foreign policy and contemporary international relations. The conference was an opportunity to take into account the importance and role of the 7 countries' membership in NATO, both for our security and for the security of NATO's Eastern Flag, and for Bulgaria's role as a predictable consumer and producer of security.
The event took place in two parts: Panel One ‘75 Years of NATO — Current Challenges’ and Panel Two ‘Security Beyond NATO — Global and Regional Perspectives on Conflicts and Partnerships’.
The panellist in the first part of the forum was the Director General of DG Political Affairs, Ms. Gergana Karadzhova. She noted the significance of the enlargement of the Alliance 20 years ago, an integral part of the process of peaceful reunification of Europe. NATO is not only the most powerful and successful defence alliance, but it brings together equal member states on the basis of common principles and values and collective responsibility to address challenges and threats to Euro-Atlantic security, Ms Karadzhova said. She stressed the importance of the security of the Black Sea region as Bulgaria's priority. ‘There is no other region in NATO and the EU that has been affected as much by Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine as the Black Sea region’, the Director General stressed, adding that the multifaceted consequences require a thorough analysis and reassessment of our policies in order to effectively preserve the relevance of NATO and the EU and ensure our ability to meet the challenges arising from the war.
Her words were supported by the statement of the representative of Romania, Ms Alice Cornelia Sabau-Georgescu, Deputy Director for Security Policies at the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She stressed the very good cooperation between Bulgaria and Romania as regional partners with a common goal.
The conference outlined the challenges for NATO's future on a global scale: The outcome of Russia's war against Ukraine, terrorism, hybrid and cyber attacks, disinformation, various regional conflicts, etc.
Emphasis was placed on the upcoming NATO meeting in Washington and the importance of the decisions the Alliance will take for its future. It was noted that NATO's main pillar, the Euro-Atlantic link, needs to be strengthened, with the hope that it will be more effective after the upcoming elections this year on both sides of the ocean, in the US and in the EU. It was stressed that the aid given to Ukraine is an investment in NATO and EU security and in this sense confidence was expressed that the war in Ukraine must be won.
Solidarity, collective defence and security — these were the highlights of the speeches of the guests at the event, which once again proved the historic nature of the Alliance's enlargement 20 years ago. There is strength in unity — this was confirmed by all the panellists at the event, Directors General from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Spain and of the 7 countries organising the event.
The conference was streamed live on the INCIPE Foundation YouTube channel.
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