BRUSSELS, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday said at a press conference that Bulgaria has been a valued ally for almost 13 years, making many important contributions to NATO's collective defence.
Welcoming Bulgarian President Rumen Radev, who has ever served as commander of the Bulgarian Air Force, at NATO headquarters, Stoltenberg said "I know that you will remain committed to NATO and to our shared security now in your new role as president."
He praised Bulgaria's contributions to the alliance, including providing troops in Kosovo and Afghanistan, and ships to NATO patrols in the Black Sea.
"The security environment which surrounds us is changing," NATO chief said, adding that "We are responding by increasing our presence both in the southeast of the alliance, and in the Baltic countries and in Poland."
Stoltenberg noted that plans for an enhanced NATO presence in the Black Sea region will be finalized at February's meeting of defence ministers, calling this "a strong sign of NATO solidarity."
He also encouraged Bulgaria to increase defence spending, underlining " security does not come for free."
