October 15, 2021
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense to Visit Bulgaria in Sign of Strong Commitment to Bilateral and Regional Security Partnership
On 17-18 October, Spencer Boyer, the U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (DASD) for European and NATO Policy, will travel to Sofia to represent the U.S. Secretary of Defense during the first annual review of the U.S.- Bulgaria 10-Year Defense Cooperation Roadmap, with Ambassador Mustafa and Bulgaria’s Minister of Defense Georgi Panayotov and Chief of Defense Admiral Emil Eftimov. This roadmap, signed in October 2020 at the Pentagon, lays out a comprehensive, long-term plan to strengthen regional security, and was a significant milestone for the U.S.-Bulgaria strategic partnership. DASD Boyer and Ambassador Mustafa look forward to meeting with our Bulgarian partners to review the significant progress we have made over the last year, both directly and as NATO allies, including key advances in operational readiness through joint maritime exercises, U.S. ship visits, and increased cooperation on Black Sea maritime security.
As President Biden affirmed at the Bucharest Nine Summit in May 2021, his Administration is committed to strengthening our Euro-Atlantic bonds. We are proud that our ally Bulgaria is taking a firm stand against malign activities in the region, is focusing on defense modernization, and is an active and reliable NATO partner. Our security partnership is delivering concrete results for Bulgaria’s national defense, and the United States will continue to work hand-in-hand with Bulgaria in key areas such as modernization of defense capabilities, trainings to increase our joint operational readiness, and bolstering cyber defense. We are committed to a strong, sovereign Bulgaria.
