An informal meeting of EU defense ministers has started in Sofia on Saturday within the Bulgarian chairmanship in the EU. Upon arriving to the forum, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini stated that one of the central issues on the agenda is coordination of NATO and EU military missions to prevent possible conflicts, TASS reports.
Mogherini expects "a discussion with the deputy secretary-generals of the United Nations and NATO - they are both here with us - on how and what we can do better in the world together coordinating our missions, cooperations on peacekeeping, prevention of conflict, crisis management, so will be a broad range of, let’s say, 360 degrees look at the world to see where cooperation is already working and working well," she said.
Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko Borisov took part in the forum’s opening. He stressed that peace should be discussed at a defense ministers’ meeting.
"Here is the best place for talking about peace. The issue is sacred here, in the Balkan region, and I am grateful to the EU representatives that the Balkan issue is again in the center of Europe’s attention. The challenges that the Balkans face require constant monitoring of the situation for immediate response. I am asking for support, because you, like no one else, understand the military threats in the Balkan region," the Bulgarian prime minister noted.
The forum in the Bulgarian capital will take one day and will focus on the global security and defense strategy and relations between EU and NATO.