Xinhua News Agency
September 18, 2014
First NATO body opens door in Bulgaria
SOFIA: Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev here on Wednesday cut the ribbon of the International Organization Crisis Management and Disaster Response Centre of Excellence (CMDR COE), the first NATO body in the Balkan country.
“CMDR COE will become an important component of the ability of the alliance to respond to crises and disasters in various places around the world,” its director Colonel Vassil Roussinov told the opening ceremony.
The Center would fill a niche for building alliance capabilities, support NATO’s transformation and provide certified training, Roussinov said, adding that it would also serve as an intellectual platform for generating and sharing knowledge and competences between NATO institutions in the specific field.
Velizar Shalamanov, caretaker Minister of Defense, said Bulgaria has decided to specialize in this particular area in the transformation process of NATO because it wanted to build a bridge of cooperation to the European Union.
“The experience gained allows this Center to be a serious tool for improving cooperation between NATO and the EU in the interest of European countries and in the interest of all countries that receive aid from the EU and NATO in critical situations,” Shalamanov said.
Plevneliev, who is also the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the country’s Armed Forces, said the establishment and functioning of CMDR COE is an important step and a good opportunity to strengthen the links between the allies within NATO.
“I hope we will be more active from now on in the implementation of joint projects, as well as the building of common defense capabilities with the armed forces of our neighbors and partners,” Plevneliev said.
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