President Iliana Iotova, government ministers, diplomats, academics, technology experts and business representatives attended an international conference titled The Black Sea and Eastern Europe: Key to European Security in Sofia on Monday.
The forum was organised by the European League for Economic Cooperation (ELEC) and the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS) under the patronage of the President, marking ELEC’s 80th anniversary.
Participants included Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev, Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov, Deputy Foreign Minister Hristo Polendakov, BAS Chief Scientific Secretary Prof. Neli Koseva, ELEC President Javier Arias, ELEC Vice-President and head of its Bulgarian representation Branimir Botev, and Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.
President Calls for Safe Navigation
“Ensuring freedom and safety of navigation in the Black Sea must be our first and foremost priority,” President Iotova said at the opening of the conference.
She described the Black Sea as a key area for national, European and global security, saying that the war between Russia and Ukraine had significantly worsened the regional security environment and changed how maritime security, freedom of navigation and the protection of critical infrastructure should be viewed.
Iotova said recent attacks on merchant vessels were no longer isolated incidents but actual military operations that threatened both ships and their crews and the principles of safe international navigation.
She also noted that participants in the recent meeting of the Consultative Council on National Security (CCNS) had agreed on Bulgaria’s proposal for a European framework mechanism to ensure security and safe navigation in the Black Sea. The aim, she said, was to make better use of existing capabilities rather than establish new structures.
Defence Minister Highlights Increased Surveillance
Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov said the Ministry of Defence was concerned about the impact of the war in Ukraine on maritime security and freedom of navigation.
He said Bulgaria was strengthening intelligence-gathering and surveillance in the Black Sea and increasing information-sharing with regional allies and other NATO member states.
Stoyanov added that cooperation and communication between Bulgarian institutions had also been stepped up.
Interior Minister Identifies Four Security Risks
Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev identified four major risks to security in the Black Sea region.
The first concerned hybrid threats, including naval mines, unmanned systems, cyberattacks and sabotage. Addressing these threats required risk monitoring, early warning systems and timely information-sharing, he said.
The second risk was the vulnerability of critical infrastructure. Damage to a single facility or component could affect more than one country, making cooperation, coordinated responses and reliable public information essential.
Demerdzhiev identified organised crime as the third risk, warning that drug trafficking, human trafficking and other illegal activities could intensify after the end of the war in Ukraine. He said efforts were being made to prevent such developments.
The fourth risk concerned the protection of the population and preparedness to respond to disasters and emergencies.
Organisers Stress European Dimension of Black Sea Security
ELEC President Javier Arias said the conference was particularly timely as the organisation marked 80 years since its establishment and ten years of activity in Bulgaria.
He noted that some European security challenges might appear distant depending on where people lived, but the current situation in the Black Sea concerned the whole continent.
ELEC Vice-President Branimir Botev said Bulgaria would play an increasingly important role alongside other countries in the region in addressing Black Sea security challenges.
He called for the conference to generate ideas on how Europe could strengthen its long-term security and connectivity while upholding democracy, stability and the principles of the free market.
BAS Chief Scientific Secretary Prof. Neli Koseva said the centre of gravity of European security was shifting eastwards.
She argued that stability in the Black Sea and the Balkans was no longer merely a regional concern but a fundamental element of Europe’s security architecture.
The region, she added, had become an important geographical, technological and strategic gateway rather than Europe’s periphery.
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Secretary General Feridun Sinirlioglu also addressed the conference in a video message.
President, Ministers, Diplomats, Experts Discuss Black Sea Security at Sofia Conference 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-10-12 13:00:01
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