The NSC was invited to participate at the Regional Defence and Security Summit 2026, held on 21 October 2026 in Sofia, Bulgaria.
On behalf of the NSC, Major General (Retired) Paul Hurmuz was a speaker of the „Strengthening Europe’s Defence Capabilities Through Regional Innovation and Cooperation” Panel.
The other speakers were: Mr. Raimond Kaljulaid, Member of the Estonian Parliament and Former Chair of the National Defence Committee, Dr. Nikolay Karamihov, Director of the Innovation Policy and Entrepreneurship Directorate at the Bulgarian Ministry of Innovation and Growth and Dr. Peyo Sizov, Director of Government Relations and Corporate Development, at the leading Bulgarian Defence company Arsenal JSCo.
The moderator was Mr. Kalin Zahariev, Security and Defence Adviser at the European Parliament.
The panel discussion aimed to highlight the specific issues facing the Allies on Europe’s Eastern Flank. The recent military escalations in the Black Sea, including the attacks on commercial ships off the coasts of Bulgaria and Romania require both a more firm response from NATO and the EU but also urgent measures for deploying the necessary capabilities in the region.
MG Paul Hurmuz underlined that since February 2022, Romania recorded 164 Russian attacks close to our border with Ukraine, 54 airspace violations and 81 cases of drone fragments identified on our territory. Romanian F-16s and other Allied air fighters were scrambled 112 times and 6 Russian drones were shot down.
He also referred to the recent NSC Study „After Russia’s Latest Attacks, NATO Must Change its Approach in the Black Sea, especially the proposals for responding to this situation.
On the topic of the future EU Black Sea Maritime Security Hub, it was stressed that Romania and Bulgaria have the opportunity to build additional capabilities for strengthening their Defence and Deterrence posture, through Regional Innovation and Cooperation.