Daniel Mitov: The Western Balkan countries are a major priority for Bulgaria
30 November 2015 News
"The countries of the Western Balkans are a major priority for Bulgaria in the bilateral development cooperation and the aim is to create a favorable environment for sustainable economic and social development of the region." With these words Minister Daniel Mitov welcomed today at the MFA the guests from the Serbian Association of Employers (SAE). The purpose of the visit was the presentation of the results of the project "Development of entrepreneurship among small and medium-sized enterprises in underdeveloped municipalities of Southeast Serbia". The project is funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria within the framework of the Bulgarian official development assistance. The event was attended by the ambassadors of the two countries H.E. Angel Dimitrov and H.E. Vladimir Curgus, as well as the President of SAE Nebojša Atanacković, the Executive Director Prof. Slavenko Grgurević and the project consultant and contractor Radojica Moiseyev.
"Increasing trade and economic relations with our neighbors and partners is both a prerequisite and a tool for eradicating poverty, strengthening democracy and the rule of law, achieving sustainable development and integration into the world economy", said Minister Mitov. He pointed out that Bulgaria is focused on those particular areas in the framework of its SEECP Chairmanship-in-Office, explaining that the successful development of the project is important not only for the private initiative in this case, but for the entire region of Southeast Europe and the Balkans.
The Serbian delegation thanked for the implementation of the project and expressed hope for its further expansion. "The initiative is important for Southeast Serbia, it is important for the bilateral relations between the countries and serves as a good example of cooperation in the wider Balkan region," said Nebojša Atanacković. According to him the combined efforts of many municipalities are a good way of achieving clear and significant results. "The intensification of the contacts with the Euro-Atlantic partners would contribute to improving the quality of life and strengthening the economies in the region," he added.
The participants agreed that the accession of the Western Balkan countries to the EU will speed up the development of each country - will contribute to enhancing the quality of democracy, to the technological and economic progress, to the intercultural exchange, and will make them much more attractive for investors.
During the meeting Minister Daniel Mitov expressed hope for further development of such positive cooperation and said that Bulgaria will rely on Serbia’s active partnership in the future. According to him the two countries will cooperate on many other projects in the future. Bulgaria and Serbia agreed that it is time people in the Balkans to overcome the divisions because the interaction between people and economies would contribute greatly to a successful development of the region.
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