Send to KindleGen. John R. Allen, commander of the International Security Assistance Force, has praised the contribution of the Bulgarian troops to the stability of Afghanistan at a meeting with President Rosen Plevneliev.
Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev arrived on a surprise visit to Afghanistan on Wednesday.
Plevneliev's trip to Afghanistan is his second official state visit abroad after his inauguration on January 22, 2012, when he replaced two-term Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov. Plevneliev's first foreign visit was to Brussels.
The Bulgarian President was received immediately by the President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Hamid Karzai.
Bulgaria has some 600 troops in Afghanistan guarding the airports in Kabul and Kandahar, and a medical unit in the Herat province.
During his meeting with Gen. Allen, Plevneliev informed him of the Bulgarian strategy to transform its mission into Afghanistan with a gradual pullout of the Bulgarian troops by 2014.
After meeting with the NATO-ISAF commander, the Bulgarian President also met with the Bulgarian rangers serving in Kabul
"During all of my meetings I have received recognition and gratitude for the work of the Bulgarian troops in Afghanistan," Plevneliev told the rangers, according to the Bulgarian Presidency.
Between July 9 and 11, the Central Military Club in Sofia hosted the first coordination conference aimed at developing the core capabilities of Bulgaria’s and North Macedonia’s Land Forces in operating and integrating Stryker combat vehicles
A significant national security concern has emerged regarding Bulgaria’s entry into the eurozone
Bulgaria is moving forward with plans to modernize its armed forces
The number of refugees attempting to cross the Bulgarian-Turkish border has dropped significantly in the past two years
At the invitation of Bulgaria’s Chief of Defense, Admiral Emil Eftimov, a high-level trilateral meeting took place in Sofia on July 2, bringing together General Georgiță Vlad, Chief of the Romanian Defense Staff, and General Metin Gürak
In June, the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) facilitated a joint training exercise involving Special Operations Forces from both Bulgaria and the United States
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