“Putin’s enemy is not NATO and the military power of the West. NATO’s doctrine is deterrent and defensive. The biggest threat to the regime in Moscow is democracy. Putin is waging a war against democracy in NATO and the world, not against NATO as a defensive alliance.” .
This was said by the resigned Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov, who attended the conference “20 years of Bulgaria in NATO: Because we are stronger together” on the occasion of the anniversary of our joining the Alliance.
According to Denkov, the expansion of NATO is an expansion of democracy and the rule of law.
“The Russian president says that the expansion of NATO is a threat to Russia and thus justifies his war in Ukraine. Putin has shown that the threat is not in the deployment of NATO troops, there were none until 2014 before the illegal annexation of Crimea. There are no NATO structures either in Ukraine”said the Prime Minister in resignation.
According to him, NATO is a guarantor of the security of over 1 billion people.
Retired Minister of Defense Todor Tagarev indicated that, compared to 2022, the defense budget for 2024 has grown by more than 60%.
“We are already investing very heavily in the defense capabilities of our Armed Forces. In parallel, we are working towards closer integration within NATO. We have never sat more worthy in NATO,” said Tagarev.
I am sure that we will witness a strengthening of the European pillar in NATO.
Significant strengthening and taking on much greater responsibility, the minister said.
We are part of a free, democratic world where human rights are respected, as is international law. Without NATO membership, we probably would not have received an invitation to join the European Union (EU), added Todor Tagarev.
At the beginning of the century, according to the criterion of gross domestic product per capita, Bulgaria’s defense budget was 25% of the EU average, in 2022 – 62% of the EU average. We must be over 65% now, commented the minister.
In his words, NATO is not only a military alliance, but also a solid prerequisite for increasing people’s well-being, for free life and democratic development.
Joining NATO did not solve our problems with a magic wand, that is not possible, noted Tagarev.
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