The NATO summit in Lisbon is the most conducive forum of the Alliance, Bulgaria’s President, Georgi Parvanov, has attended so far.

The statement was made by Parvanov himself Saturday in Lisbon, saying the adoption of a strategic concept; the launch of the building a joint missile defense shield; partnership with Russia, and the plan on the future of the ISAF mission in Afghanistan were milestones in NATO’s development.

The President informed that his Friday talks with both US President, Barack Obama, and NATO Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, confirmed their view of Bulgaria аs a key factor in the stabilization of the Western Balkans region, and the door to countries from the region such as Serbia and Macedonia which are not members of the Alliance.

Regarding the joint defense shield, Parvanov admitted there have been debates among the member nations during the Friday dinner.

Foreign Minister, Nikolay Mladenov, further informed there have not yet been talks on specific dates to place the shield on Bulgarian territory, reiterating Bulgaria wants its territory fully covered.