Brussels summit

The prospects for taking a real step forward when it comes to the European integration of the Republic of North Macedonia was the central topic of a conversation that the country's Prime Minister Zoran Zaev and Bulgarian President Rumen Radev had at the conclusion of the NATO summit in Brussels.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on June 13 met with the leaders of NATO member countries in Brussels as part of his bilateral talks ahead of Monday's alliance summit.

Erdoğan held separate talks with Hungarian Premier Viktor Orban, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, and Latvian President Egils Levits.

Leaders of NATO countries at June 14's summit will discuss the path that the military alliance will follow over the next decade against challenges such as China, Russia, and cyber threats.

The leaders will gather on June 14 at NATO headquarters in Brussels for the first time since 2018.

President Rumen Radev today held a video conference call with The President of the European Council Charles Michel. Topics from the agenda of the European Union, as well as the upcoming extraordinary meeting of the European Council on 24 and 25 May, at which our country will be represented by the Bulgarian Head of State, were among the highlights of the conversation.

European Union leaders meet today and tomorrow for their regular autumn summit. The agenda today includes topics such as Brexit, the Turkish operation in northern Syria and the start of accession negotiations with northern Macedonia and Albania.

Prime Minister Boyko Borissov will also attend the meeting.

The delegation will include First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivica Dacic, the government announced on Friday.

NATO summit started in Brussels on 11th of July. The Bulgarian delegation is led by President Rumen Radev. The allies will discuss global threats and cooperation between them, as well as the Alliance's interaction with the European Union. Defence spending is one of the sensitive topics.

Greece and Turkey have agreed to focus efforts on easing tensions in the Aegean, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said on July 12 after meeting Turkish President Tayyip Erdoğan on the sidelines of a NATO summit.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will attend his first major international summit since his re-election on July 11 when he attends the NATO heads of state and government meeting in Brussels.

NATO members have increased defense spending in general, but European countries are having difficulties meeting a target of 2 percent of GDP demanded by US President Donald Trump. Germany is a long way off.

Only three NATO members from the EU are meeting defense spending goals, the military alliance said in its annual report on Thursday.