Meeting of the Interagency Council on the participation of Bulgaria in NATO and the Common Security and Defence policy of the EU
12 September 2013 News
Minister of Foreign Affairs Kristian Vigenin chaired today the regular meeting of the Interagency Council on the participation of Bulgaria in NATO and the EU Common Security and Defence Policy. The meeting, held at the MFA, was attended by Deputy Minister of Defence, Ivan Ivanov, representatives of the Presidential Administration, the Chairman of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, Yanaki Stoilov, the Chairman of the Defence Committee of the National Assembly, Yanko Yankov, the Chairman of the Internal Security and Public Order Committee of the NA, Atanas Merdzhanov , the Chief of National Defence, Gen. Simeon Simeonov , representatives of the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Justice , Ministry of Finance , Ministry of Economy and Energy, and national intelligence agencies .
In his opening statement, Foreign Minister stressed that the work of the Council will have continuity and will work in coordination with all relevant institutions. He presented the implementation of the decisions made at the previous meeting and the results of the informal meeting of EU Ministers of Defence, held in early September.
The Council members discussed issues related to Bulgaria’s cyber defence and stressed on the need for coordinated actions among the actors involved. The members proposed to establish a national authority for cyber security.
Kristian Vigenin briefed the Council on the organization of the celebrations, marking the 10th anniversary of Bulgaria's membership in NATO. In relation to the anniversary, he proposed the establishment of an interagency working group led by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. It will be attended by representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Defence, Administration of the President and the National Assembly. Members are supposed to develop a National Plan to mark the 10th anniversary. The group will also have to prepare and submit to the Council of Ministers decree that will verify the national plan, deadlines for the implementation, the responsible institutions and the necessary resources. It will work in coordination and cooperation with NGOs in the field of international relations and security that can be beneficiaries of funding from the "Public Diplomacy" Directorate of NATO.
The experts presented information on the preparation of the forthcoming consultations between Bulgaria and NATO on the implementation of the objectives and the planning of the Bulgarian participation in the NATO mission in Afghanistan after 2014.
The next meeting of the Interagency Council on the participation of Bulgaria in NATO and the EU Common Security and Defence Policy will be held in December this year.
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