"In the context of Russia's conflict in Ukraine, the topic of whether and how to bolster NATO defenses, particularly on the southeastern frontier, which includes Bulgaria and Romania, emerged", Admiral Emil Eftimov, Bulgaria's Chief of Defense, commented in an interview.
"Within the framework of the adapted presence, we started talking about the Maritime Coordination Center in Varna, intensified air policing, a multinational division in Romania, and several other training initiatives that are happening," stated the chief of defense on BNT.
He reminded that in this context, a multinational combat group was formed and that at the NATO summit in Vilnius, it was determined to increase this battle group to the level of a brigade.
"To strengthen a brigade, the necessary conditions must be created." We're talking about infrastructure. NATO can respond reasonably rapidly by air and sea, but responding on land and deploying soldiers and equipment is an extremely difficult logistical and labor-intensive procedure. "You need infrastructure in place for this purpose," emphasized Admiral Eftimov.
The defense minister indicated that "Minister Todor Tagarev said that these forces need the necessary supplies to be provided with transport corridors - rail, road, sea".
Admiral Eftimov stressed that Bulgaria is working hard to secure this link in both ways. "South-North from Alexandroupolis to Romania, and along the so-called corridor No. 8 from the Adriatic Sea through Albania and RS Macedonia to Bulgaria." "From there, you can go to the Black Sea or north to the Danube Bridge," he added, adding that both lanes are important. "Corridor #8 is developing and I'm optimistic that this thing will happen."
Admiral Eftimov claimed that no important infrastructure for troop usage has been developed in Bulgaria since the start of the modifications. "Our national interest is to improve our infrastructure," he replied when asked when building would begin. /BGNES
