The NATO Warsaw Summit ended up with no surprises. The agenda of the alliance remains focused on migration, terrorism, the threats and risks, coming from the East, including the militarization of the Crimea, as well as the violated military balance in the Black Sea region. NATO will continue with its deterrence policy, regarding Russia, but combining it with dialogue. The really firm tone of the allies on the issue in the communique issued after the closing of the event makes strong impression and Moscow is being warned that no restoration of the common relations will occur until it shows a notably different approach.

In Warsaw the dialogue with Moscow was postponed to the forthcoming NATO–Russia meeting. At the same time a decision was taken for the constant deployment of 4 multinational battalions across Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia as a response to the annexation of Crimea. Defense Minister Nikolay Nenchev pointed out that Bulgaria wouldn’t participate with its own troops in these formations.

Bulgaria’s engagements towards the allied policy in the Black Sea remain unchanged. It continues to be ready to participate in a multinational brigade in Romania with a contingent of up to 400 on a rotational basis for trainings and improvement of the coordination between the partners from the alliance. Just like other participants in the summit, Sofia is also concerned about the lack of military balance in the Black Sea and President Rosen Plevneliev once again insisted on enhanced NATO presence there. A decision on the issue was not taken as well, but the development is expected in October at the NATO defense ministers meeting’s level.

The signing of a Joint Declaration by the President of the European Council, the President of the European Commission and the Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is the new thing, welcomed by the Bulgarian side. The document raises the relations between both organizations at a higher level. Thus people in charge won’t have to seek tough balances between national engagements towards either organization.

However, some internal discrepancies of the Bulgarian party on Black Sea security issues emerged once again through the summit days. In Warsaw the Bulgarian head of state insisted on increased NATO presence, while a bit later PM Boyko Borissov said in Sofia that even bad peace was better than any kind of war and threw the idea on the proclaiming of a de-militarized zone across the Black Sea. He only repeated his recent words, so he is serious in his intention to be distinguished from the NATO hawks and their followers in Bulgaria.

However, it is hard to say whether the different point of view of Borissov will find some expression in the Bulgarian stance at the NATO–Russia summit and at the October-held meeting of NATO’s defense ministers. One way or another there are signs of serious internal discrepancies on the issue among those in charge. It is a paradox that these views somehow place the premier close to the stance of the leftist opposition, as the socialists did insist before the Warsaw Summit on a Bulgarian position, declaring its refusal to participate in any hostile actions against Russia.

English version: Zhivko Stanchev