01594nas a2200205   4500000000100000000000100001000000100002008004100003260006800044653001300112653001700125653001900142653001900161653002500180653000900205653002600214100001900240245007000259520105900329       2014                            d  cJanuary 2014bCentre for Security and Defence ManagementaSofia10aBulgaria10aCentral Asia10aDefence reform10aEastern Europe10amilitary cooperation10aNATO10aPartnership for Peace1 aValeri Ratchev00aNATO’s Partnership for Peace: Twenty Years Later (in Bulgarian)3 aOn 11 January 1994, on the U.S. initiative, the heads of NATO member states approved the Partnership for Peace (PfP). A month later, Bulgaria joined PfP crossing its first Rubicon on the road towards the trans-Atlantic alliance and community. PfP proved to be one of the best ideas in the field of security and defence since the end of the Cold War. PfP applied the concept of cooperative security in real politics, and became one of the most important means of gradually breaking down mental and physical barriers inherited by the Cold War. Twenty years later, the realities are very different both in NATO and the partner countries. Military cooperation, however, continues to be an important factor for international security and regional stability. PfP is now a culture of thinking and action. Its value remains high, and member countries and partners are jointly responsible to find ways and forms for its further development and modernization. The time has come for inspirational discussions, followed by timely and effective decisions and actions.