Bulgarian Joint Force Commander greets personnel in Kosovo and BiH

Bulgarian military missions abroad are regarded as a model of professionalism, discipline and international cooperation, Gen. Stanimir Hristov, commander of the Bulgarian Joint Force Command, said in an interview with Nova TV.

On the occasion of Bulgarian Army Day on 6 May, he wished all Bulgarian military personnel on missions abroad good health and success.

According to him, 130 Bulgarian military personnel are serving in Kosovo, eight of whom are women. Bulgaria began participating in the NATO mission, KFOR, in 2000. To date, over 2,000 Bulgarian military personnel have participated on a rotational basis. The contingent is deployed in Peć and Pristina. Their mission involves patrolling, maintaining security and preventing tensions between ethnic groups from escalating. He described the situation in Kosovo as relatively calm, but warned that political instability could quickly lead to an escalation of tensions.

General Stanimir Hristov recalled that Bulgaria has many years of experience in such missions, including its participation in Bosnia and Herzegovina since 1997, where Bulgarian military personnel perform staff functions too.

Editor: Ivo Ivanov