Bulgaria and Greece – partners in the Balkans
18 January 2012 News
Bulgaria supports the efforts of the Greek government and society to cope with the crisis. Greece is our priority partner in the European Union and in the Balkans, and for that reason we have a comprehensive agenda for the upcoming second joint meeting of both governments in the spring. This was said by Foreign Minister Nickolay Mladenov today after meeting his Greek counterpart Stavros Dimas in Athens.
Topics that Mladenov covered included the opening of new border crossings, co-operation in infrastructure and implementation of the gas interconnection. The Cold War resulted in an artificial iron curtain between our countries, which included the isolation of our energy networks, he said. The gas connection is an important step in overcoming this legacy and in diversifying our energy supplies, Bulgaria’s Foreign Minister emphasised.
He said that the planned elimination of the need for third-country holders of Schengen visas to have Bulgarian visas would encourage Greek and Bulgarian tour operators to offer joint packages.
Ministers Mladenov and Dimas discussed how to support the European prospects of Western Balkan countries. The day that our neighbours meet the requirements of EU legislation and demonstrate that they have good neighbourly relations and regional co-operation, they should become EU members, Minister Mladenov said. The two ministers committed Bulgaria and Greece to working together on this.
Minister Dimas accepted Mladenov’s idea for a trilateral meeting of foreign ministers of Bulgaria, Greece and Romania, to be held in coming months in Bulgaria. By sending a joint message, the member states in the region would strengthen their voice, Mladenov and Dimas agreed.