NATO exercises. File photo ROME, Jun 2 Italy will lead NATO's mission in Bulgaria as part of strengthening the alliance's eastern flank, said Italian Defense Minister Lorenzo Guerini. «We are already present in Latvia and Romania, exercising control over airspace, and if Parliament agrees, our contingents will arrive in Hungary and Bulgaria. In Bulgaria, we will lead this mission. We are talking about NATO missions to strengthen the deterrent capacity of the eastern flank,» the Minister of Defense said on Wednesday on the Rai TV channel. 1. According to Guerini, such containment is necessary «to prevent conflicts and strengthen security.» He also recalled the activities carried out by the Italian armed forces in other parts of the world, noting «special attention to the Mediterranean, where we are responsible for stability, security and peace.» Last week, during a visit to Rome, Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov said that Italy will send more than 800 troops to Bulgaria as part of a NATO battalion. Earlier, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, speaking in the national parliament, announced that in the medium term, Rome intends to send 250 and 750 people to Hungary and Bulgaria, respectively, as part of strengthening the eastern flank of NATO. In addition, he promised to consider the possibility of supporting Romania in the demining of the Black Sea, as well as Slovakia in the field of air defense. The prime minister then recalled that by decision of the Allied Command in Europe, the eastern flank of the alliance was strengthened, and Italy's contribution to this already amounted to 2,500 troops. Lithuania invited NATO members to think about the defense capabilities of the alliance
