NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has expressed satisfaction with the measures for the modernization of the Bulgarian Armed Forces taken by the government in Sofia, Defence Minister Nikolay Nenchev has said.

The defence ministers of NATO member states have also stressed the importance of the steps towards upgrading Bulgaria’s military capabilities taken in the context of the commitments made by the country at the Alliance’s summit in Wales, Nenchev said on Wednesday, according to a statement from the Defence Ministry in Sofia.

Nenchev spoke to reporters in Brussels after the closing session of a two-day meeting of NATO defence ministers tasked with the preparation of a summit of the Alliance in Warsaw next month.

At the meeting, a consensus was reached on the need for continued adaptation of NATO to the challenges to security, Nenchev said, according to the statement.

"As regards Romania and Bulgaria, the Allies have agreed to take a set of measures to further strengthen security in the region," Nenchev said.

Nenchev also highlighted Tuesday’s decision to deploy four battalions comprising a total of 4,000 servicemen to Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia as an important measure to enhance the security of the Alliance.