US SUPPORTS BULGARIA FOR NATO MEMBERSHIP

Politics | October 23, 2001, Tuesday // 00:00

Bulgarian Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg met NATO Secretary General George Robertson and the ambassadors to NATO of the 19 member states on October 22. The meeting continued half an hour longer than planned. Lord Robertson and the ambassadors supported the new Bulgarian government to carry on with the reforms in the country and encouraged Bulgaria`s candidacy to join NATO. However, they recalled that there are strict conditions that have to be met. Lord Robertson said that in the course of a year, Bulgaria made certain progress in its military reform. According to him, the most difficult part of the reforms are to take place in the near future. `In order to make the Bulgarian army and defense system compatible with that of NATO, serious political decisions should be made,` Lord Robertson said. However, he admitted that this is not a problem of Bulgaria only, but of all applicant states. US Ambassador Nicholas Burns was most concrete. He expressed his country`s firm support for Bulgaria`s membership in NATO. According to Burns, Bulgaria acted as a de facto member of NATO for which the US government was grateful. The ambassadors to NATO expressed gratitude for the support Bulgaria rendered to the Alliance during the operation in Kosovo and stressed the country`s role as a stabilizing factor in the Balkans. The diplomats also thanked Bulgaria for the solidarity shown after the September 11 terrorist acts in the United States. Saxe-Coburg said that Bulgaria is ready, if necessary, to send troops to replace the US contingent in the Balkans. Lord Robertson said that although at the moment there is no such need, such readiness is extremely valuable to NATO. In a short speech to the participants in the meeting, Saxe-Coburg outlined Bulgaria`s foreign policy priorities.

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