SOFIA, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- A multinational computer-assisted exercise, involving nine countries from the Balkan region, kicked off in Bulgaria on Monday, the country's Ministry of Defense said in a statement.
Up to 200 military and civilian personnel from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Greece, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, North Macedonia and Turkey participate in the five-day exercise codenamed "Balkan Bridges - 2019," the ministry said.
The purpose of the drill, which is hosted by Bulgaria's National Military Training Complex "Charalitza," was to enhance the interoperability of the Balkan states' armed forces, and improve their capabilities to respond adequately to any hazard and risk related to the security in the region, it said.
The exercise would provide a training platform and environment to improve war combat capabilities, and would test the integration of the national modeling and simulating systems into the South Eastern Europe Exercise and Training Network, the ministry added.
