Bulgaria could send 400 soldiers for the NATO brigade to be stationed in Romania, Bulgarian Defense Minister Nikolay Nenchev said yesterday, reports local Mediafax.

He made the announced after a meeting with Romanian Defense Minister Mihnea Motoc in Brussels.

NATO defense ministers have met in Brussels this week to discuss details about the allied military presence in Eastern Europe. Romania has announced that it was willing to host a NATO brigade, which usually varies between 3,200 and 5,500 troops, to secure the south-eastern flank from the Russian threat. The exact size will be determined based on the number of troops the member states are willing to send.

“Together with my Romanian counterpart, I’ve reached the conclusion that it’s necessary to have a stronger presence of the NATO forces in the Black Sea area,” Nenchev said.

More decisions about NATO’s military presence in Romania may be made at the NATO Summit in Warsaw in mid-July.

editor@romania-insider.com