Sofia, Bulgaria: The Defense Minister of Bulgaria, Dragomir Zakov, yesterday (June 15) met with the Georgian counterpart, Juansher Burchuladze, during which both the dignitaries expressed a desire to strengthen diplomatic ties and cooperation in the defence sector.
The meeting was held on the sidelines of the NATO defence ministers’ conference in Brussels.
Speaking at the NATO meet, the Bulgarian Minister stated, “Our assistance has the ability to enhance the capacity of the Ukrainian Armed forces. It is important to increase political and practical support for Georgia and other partners at risk. Bulgaria fully endorses the historical decision of Finland & Sweden to apply for NATO membership”.
Meanwhile, the Secretary-General of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, on June 15, met with the ministers of – Belgium, Denmark, Latvia, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, and Romania to prepare for a historic NATO summit of the defence dignitaries.
On the other hand, the United States Secretary of Defense, Lloyd J. Austin III, is also present in Brussels to attend the meeting.
Austin asserted, “We must intensify our shared commitment to Ukraine’s self-defence, and we must push ourselves even harder to ensure that Ukraine can defend itself, its citizens, and its territory. Russia continues to bombard Ukraine’s sovereign territory indiscriminately and recklessly endanger Ukrainian civilians”.
“Since the contact group first came together three months ago, we’ve built tremendous momentum for donations and delivery of military assistance. And after this meeting, we’re not just going to maintain that momentum; we’re going to move even faster and push even harder”, the US Secretary-General further underscored.
The meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group was also held, in which discussions were conducted on the several ways to fortify support for Ukraine as the war-torn nation defends itself from Russia’s unprovoked invasion. At least 50 countries participated in the meeting – the highest tally so far.