On 12 September, the European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats had the pleasure of welcoming Ms Mariya Gabriel, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria, when she visited the Centre to hand over the Letter of Notification to Director Teija Tiilikainen, officially making Bulgaria the 34th Participating State of Hybrid CoE.
“I’m delighted to be able to welcome Bulgaria as they join Hybrid CoE,” Dr Tiilikainen said. “In an increasingly difficult geopolitical environment, the value of cooperation among EU and NATO members and the sharing of best practices comes to the fore. By bringing its own perspective to the table, Bulgaria will further strengthen our joint efforts to counter hybrid threats.”
“We find ourselves in a geopolitically contested world, where hybrid tactics have emerged as a new set of risks and challenges that transcend borders and traditional spheres of security, and put our resilience and capacity to act to the ultimate test. In this new world, driven by rapid technological innovations, where the boundaries between the physical and digital realms are becoming increasingly blurred, Bulgaria stands ready to contribute to the activities of Hybrid CoE and looks forward to working with all our EU partners and NATO allies. Proactive cooperation should be the cornerstone of our common defence against new and evolving challenges in the hybrid domain,” Minister Gabriel stated.
Besides Bulgaria, the Participating States of the Centre of Excellence include Austria, Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Türkiye, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The Centre cooperates closely with the EU and NATO.
