BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 1. Defense Minister of
Bulgaria Atanas Zapryanov said NATO is a unique organization that,
even in the face of the most complex problems and diverging
national interests, can find workable compromises, reach decisions,
and implement them in practice, Trend reports.

The minister made the remarks at the conference “NATO After The
Hague ’25: The Bulgarian Dimension,” organized by the Atlantic Club
in Bulgaria and the Union of Reserve Officers “Atlantic” (SORA),
held on July 31, 2025, at the Central Military Club.

“To address a threat, we must possess the necessary tools and
present a clear plan for how we will implement our defense
strategy. If we lack established capabilities and have not invested
sufficiently to make them operational, then everything will remain
only on paper,” Minister Zapryanov said during his speech.

“That is why we now need the Euro-Atlantic community to firmly
support the decisions made in The Hague, especially regarding
increased investments, modernization of the defense industry, and
of the Armed Forces. It is essential that Bulgarian society
understands that investments in defense are not financial losses
but a guarantee of security — and security means prosperity,” he
emphasized.

Minister Zapryanov also addressed security threats and
underlined that NATO is a structured military-political
organization. Based on the current geopolitical situation, its two
strategic commands have developed corresponding defense plans.

“Given the growing threats, the new allied defense plans impose
significantly higher quantitative and qualitative requirements on
defense capabilities,” he noted.

Raising military budgets is not the only crucial outcome. The
NATO Summit in The Hague reaffirmed the unity of the Alliance, the
commitment of all member states to Article 5 of the Washington
Treaty, the strength of the transatlantic bond, and the United
States’ commitment to European security.

“In this complex situation, Bulgaria was highly active in
preparing for the summit, and I categorically reject statements
suggesting that smaller countries had no influence on the decisions
taken. Our national position was jointly developed by the Ministry
of Defense and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and supported by the
Cabinet. We actively participated in the budget increase debate to
3.5%, and we were one of the countries advocating — as was
ultimately accepted — that there should be no abrupt increase.
Instead, each country should decide on the stages of this
adjustment independently, based on their own economic situation.
The deadline was also extended by three years, until 2035,” the
minister said regarding Bulgaria’s role at the summit.

“If we, as allies, lose the battle against disinformation, and
if the public is convinced through hybrid methods that NATO member
states’ investments in defense capabilities are meaningless, then
the war will have been lost before it even begins,” Zapryanov
warned.