Europe’s deteriorating security architecture may destabilize Balkans: Bulgarian president

By Ihvan Radoykov and Talha Ozturk

BELGRADE, Serbia (AA) - Europe’s security architecture is falling apart, which may lead to instability in the Balkans region, whose peace and stability is threatened by the war on Ukraine, Bulgarian President Rumen Radev said Thursday.

Radev's remarks came at the 16th Annual Conference of the Chiefs of Staff of the Balkan Countries which was held in the capital Sofia.

Giving the opening speech of the conference, Radev said that "as the security architecture built in Europe for years is collapsing, the risk of instability rises, especially in our region, which is close to the war in Ukraine.”

Radev said that Russia's attacks on Ukraine had caused dramatic changes in the security environment.

"We have to radically review our model of joint defense. On the other hand, our resources and time are limited. Our task is not only to prove that peace is possible in the Balkans, but also to be a conscientious active party in the processes,” he said.

''As the Balkans have historically been shown as a source of instability, a place that started wars, our present task will be to prove the region as a source of security and stability.”

Bulgarian Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov said the countries of the region should increase the capacity of energy and transportation corridors by focusing on the harmony between their infrastructure systems.

"We can further increase our mutual relations in the field of defense. We can focus more on military training and the preparation of our military forces," he said.

Launched 17 years ago, the Conference of the Chiefs of Staff is cited as one of the most productive examples of regional military cooperation.

The conference was attended by the Chief of the Turkish General Staff, Yasar Guler, as well as the chiefs of staff of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro.

The chiefs of staff of Slovenia and Croatia have observer status.