Atanas Zapryanov: We Consider NATO-EU Relations as a Relationship Between Mutually Supportive Organizations

,,We consider NATO-EU relations not as a relationship between two competing organizations, but as two complementary organizations'', said Deputy Minister of Defense Atanas Zapryanov, who participates in the NATO-EU Relations Panel and the Future of the Transatlantic Relations.

,,The political basis of this complementarity is that both organizations serve the same values'', Zapryanov said.

All leaders of EU and NATO member states have consistently declared that NATO's "cornerstone" of true military collective defense remains NATO, the deputy minister added.

,,We need to find the right resources, not just capacity, but also solidarity and values, suited to the future, so that the transatlantic relationship is strengthened, to find a new balance, because, compared to the past, the challenges are now completely different. We are not confronted only with Russia, but also with China, "said Fabrizio Luciolli, President of the Atlantic Treaty Association.

According to him, the current security situation is worse, despite the Cold War comparisons, because it does not have the simplistic model of that era.

NATO faces new challenges, not alone. The EU is becoming a global player in the field of security. No country or international organization can handle all aspects of these new challenges, we must solve the problems together'', he said.

France's Ambassador to Bulgaria, Erik Lobendel, also commented that it is not about European defense being directed against NATO, but about complementarity.

,,Given the capabilities and resources provided by the United States, Europeans have to focus on weaknesses and improve their military capabilities'', the French diplomat noted.