Bulgarian Prez urges global perspective on peace at Sofia security forum

Sofia(The Uttam Hindu): World leaders should adopt a broader perspective when devising strategies to safeguard peace in their own countries and region, Bulgarian President Rumen Radev said in a doorstep statement ahead of an international meeting in Sofia. "The great challenge not only for the Balkans and Europe but also for the world today is to free itself from the self-deception that it is possible for peace and security to be guaranteed only for a given country and region or at the expense of someone else," Radev said on Friday.

The one-day event, known as the "Aqaba Process for the Balkans," was organised under the auspices of the Aqaba Process Initiative, which is co-chaired by the Republic of Bulgaria and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Launched in 2015 by Jordan's King Abdullah II, the initiative addresses pressing issues related to terrorism, illegal migration, and radicalisation, reports Xinhua news agency. Friday's event in Sofia marks the third edition of the high-level forum with a focus on the Balkan region, according to the Press Secretariat of the president.

In today's world, when security is challenged on a daily basis, it is especially important for state leaders to exchange views and seek joint solutions, Radev said, calling for the voices of more leaders and experts to be heard and their opinions and suggestions to be respected. He went on to suggest that had this approach been followed earlier, Ukraine's 2023 counteroffensive - a move he described as "fatal" - might have been avoided. Many European leaders, he argued, had clung to a naive belief that military support alone would enable Ukraine to achieve significant military successes and negotiate (a peace deal with Russia) from a position of strength, Radev said.

"The lessons of history are often forgotten, that in times of global conflicts there cannot be isolated islands of peace and tranquillity," Radev said. He also noted that security is a key issue in the Balkans because countries here are directly affected by the consequences of nearby military conflicts. He highlighted human trafficking, illegal migration, terrorism and radicalisation as some of the most devastating consequences. Nearly 30 delegations took part in the meeting, including heads of state, government officials, representatives of intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations and heads of diplomatic missions in Bulgaria.