Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany — More than 50 representatives from Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey, and Greece will meet in Sofia, Bulgaria June 21 - June 24 to examine NATO’s Black Sea region security and to discuss opportunities for further cooperation. They will come from the Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of the Interior and Ministry of Justice.
Purposes and Objectives of the conference:
Examine the threats existing along the air, maritime, and land borders;
Identify specific areas of potential cooperation;
Assess the capacity of each to respond to incidences affecting the civil populations;
Analyze the efforts of NATO, EU and OSC to manage a crisis in the region
Romania and Bulgaria joined NATO in 2004, and along with Turkey comprise NATO’s Southeast flank.
These countries modernize their economies and work towards EU membership. The illicit traffic running out of the Black Sea through their ports and across their borders is becoming more and more important to them. These threats to Romanian, Bulgarian and Turkish domestic security include criminal networks and terrorist organizations. Romania and Bulgaria have expressed a desire to take a leading role in deterring illicit traffic from East of the Black Sea.
Media are invited to cover the opening session of the conference, which will begin on:
Tuesday 21 June at 9 a.m. Hilton Hotel, 1 Bulgaria Blvd, Sofia, Bulgaria.
Interviews with speakers may be coordinated with the Marshall Center Public Affairs Office.
For further information please contact at the George c. Marshall Center:
The Marshall Center is a renowned U.S. Department of Defense and German Ministry of Defense educational institution. More than 3,700 military and civilian officials from more than 50 nations have graduated from resident courses and more than 13,200 have attended more than 200 conferences discussing European and Central Asian security issues since the center was dedicated in 1993.
