24-25 November 2009, Sofia
The 2009 Annual International Business Defense and Security Conference of the Atlantic Club of Bulgaria was organized in cooperation with the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Economy, Energy and Tourism, the State Commission on Information Security, the Bulgarian Defense Industry Association and the NATO Information Centre in Sofia and took place at the Conference Hall of the National Defense Academy in Sofia on 24-25 November 2009. The Prime Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria, Mr. Boyko Borissov, sent an address to the participants. The conference focused on NATO’s New Strategic Concept and the Bulgarian Armed Forces’ modernization as well as on Afghanistan as a test for NATO’s future. Another topic was NATO on the Balkans and the confidence, cooperation and security the Alliance has brought to this troubled region. On November 25th, participants discussed the offset implementation in Bulgaria as an economic mechanism for industry modernization and science development. Managers of Bulgarian and European defense and high tech companies made the main audience at the conferences. More than 100 Bulgarian and international participants, including visionaries, thinkers and representatives of intergovernmental organizations, national governments and think tanks attended the conference.