Bulgaria urges NATO to intensify scientific cooperation

President of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Stefan Vodenicharov on Friday urged NATO to intensify the scientific practical cooperation amid the worsening situation in some regions of the world.

NATO and partners face growing range of traditional and non-traditional risks and emerging security challenges such as unprecedented waves of migration to Europe and devastating natural disasters, Vodenicharov said.

"Many of them are only symptoms of complicated economic, social, technological and other processes and in order to deal with we have to analyze them and find the root causes," Vodenicharov said.

This is an opportunity for the scientists and researchers to contribute with their analyses, forecasts and discussions, in order to better understand the nature of the modern threats and risks to security, Vodenicharov said in a written address to the participants in an information day dedicated to NATO Science for Peace and Security (SPS) Program.

In this regard, the SPS Program is an important tool to foster cooperation and common activities between Allies and partners in direct response to these challenges, he said.

However, more practical cooperation is needed, Vodenicharov said.

"There is a big room for scientists to work on issues like energy security, antiterrorism, cyber defense and countering cyber terrorism, anti-trafficking, environmental protection, civil emergency and many other spheres," he said.

This cooperation will be a contribution to the regional and global security, he added.

Vodenicharov said that since 1993, his country has earned more than 270 grants and projects under the NATO SPS Program, with most of them in the areas of chemistry, physics, biology, information technologies and environmental protection.

For the whole period, more than 1,200 Bulgarian scientists have taken part in various workshops and conferences in the framework of this program, he said. Endit