Greece Backs Bulgaria as Permanent Host of South-Eastern Europe Brigade

Bulgaria's Head of Defense Gen. Simeon Simeonov (right) pictured with Gen. Ioannis Giagkos, Chief of the National Defense Staff of Greece (middle) at the Unknown Soldier Monument in Sofia. Photo by BGNES

Greece has supported Bulgaria's aspiration to become the permanent seat of the South-Eastern Europe Brigade after 2015.

This has been made clear by Gen. Ioannis Giagkos, Chief of the National Defense Staff of Greece, who was welcomed in Sofia Wednesday by the Bulgarian Head of Defense Gen. Simeon Simeonov.

In the fall of 2010, Bulgaria offered to become the permanent host of the South-Eastern Europe Brigade after 2015.

The South-Eastern Europe Brigade (SEEBRIG) is a cooperation of seven regional NATO and Partnership for Peace states: Albania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Greece, Italy, Romania, and Turkey.

The joint military brigade is currently under transformation to become a modern mobile unit for participation in NATO and EU campaigns under the auspices of the UN.

Up to now, SEEBRIG has been hosted at a rotation principle. Its first domicile was Bulgaria's Plovdiv (1999-2003), after which it moved to Constanta, Romania (2003-2007), and then toIstanbul, Turkey (2007-2011), and has recently been based in Larissa, Greece, for 2011-2015.

Gen. Ioannis Giagkos, Chief of the National Defense Staff of Greece, was also received in Sofia by Bulgarian Defense Minister Anyu Angelov.

Angelov has praised the defense and security cooperation between Bulgaria and Greece, stressing the fact that the two countries are the first Balkan states to have implemented a joint air policing agreement.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!