Ekaterina Zaharieva: Bulgaria Aims to Make the European Prospects of the Western Balkans an Irreversible Process
20 April 2018 News
‘I am pleased that I have the opportunity to welcome my colleague and friend from Kosovo so shortly after Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov’s visit to Pristina.’ These were the words of welcome of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ekaterina Zaharieva to the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kosovo, Behgjet Pacolli, who was one a one-day visit in Bulgaria.
Today, the two discussed the Bulgarian Presidency and the effort our country has invested in promoting the European prospects of the Western Balkans. ‘Bulgaria’s aim is to have emphasis on the region and EU support continue after its Presidency, and to make the matter a long-term priority for the EU and an irreversible process,’ Ekaterina Zaharieva stated at a press conference following her meeting with Behgjet Pacolli.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kosovo congratulated Bulgaria on the successes of its Presidency of the Council of the EU. ‘You have gone to a lot of effort, and the results can already be seen,’ Pacolli stated. He highlighted that the May summit in Sofia would be the first forum of its kind since 2003, and noted that his country was working hard to implement the necessary reforms. Pacolli thanked Bulgaria and the Bulgarian people for their ongoing support for his country. ‘Our people hopes that the spirit of friendly cooperation will continue in the future,’ the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kosovo added.
‘One of the strongest bridges between Bulgaria and Kosovo, other than our friendship, are the over 10,000 Gorani people, who share a Bulgarian mentality and contribute to the ties between our two countries,’ Minister Zaharieva emphasised before her counterpart. She noted that she expected Kosovo to protect and guarantee the rights of these people who consider themselves Bulgarian.
‘The people of Kosovo is full of warmth and good feeling towards the Bulgarian Gorani minority,’ Minister Pacolli replied. He highlighted that he had taken on a personal commitment to support them when he was on his first visit to the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2007. Behgjet Pacolli added that the Gorani minority had a quota for seats in the National Assembly of Kosovo. He emphasised that if the protection of the rights of the Gorani in Kosovo had deficiencies, he would personally see to their being rectified.
Over the course of their meeting, Ekaterina Zaharieva expressed Bulgaria’s willingness to lend support to Kosovo in implementing the necessary reforms. She congratulated her counterpart on the efforts his government invested to that end, and underscored the importance of the fact that Kosovo’s National Assembly ratified the Demarcation Agreement on its border with Montenegro.
‘Countries in the Western Balkans can convince European citizens and the member states still sceptical of their progress only by achieving tangible results by means of reform. We have to prove that here, in the Balkans, we can deal with our problems, that we can reform, build efficient institutions, combat organised crime, and work towards economic growth,’ Deputy Prime Minister Zaharieva highlighted.
On the matter of the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, Bulgaria’s highest-ranking diplomat stated that making progress was only possible by means of negotiation. ‘I commend the two countries on the fact that, in spite of the tension over the past couple of weeks, the negotiations between them have continued. No one benefits from this tension, and those most adversely affected will be the citizens of those two countries and of the Balkans,’ Minister Zaharieva noted.
Following their meeting in the MFA, Ekaterina Zaharieva and Behgjet Pacolli opened an economic forum co-organised by the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) and the Kosovo Chamber of Commerce. 40 companies from the two countries took part in it. Ministers Zaharieva and Pacolli agreed on organising this joint initiative during the highest-ranking Bulgarian diplomat’s visit to Pristina in October 2017.
‘When I was in Pristina, my colleague Behgjet Pacolli and I also spent considerable time discussing the possible ways to improve the economic relations between our two countries. I stand firmly convinced that economic diplomacy is one of the most important ones. I would not be a good minister of foreign affairs if I did not use every meeting to present the strong suits and the opportunities Bulgaria and its businesses can offer,’ Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva stated at the opening of the forum.
Bulgaria’s highest-ranking diplomat believes it is important that politicians should promote business and work towards improving connectivity in the region. ‘Looking for partnerships further afield, we failed to look at our neighbours, but business did,’ Ekaterina Zaharieva added. She expressed her hopes that the forum would foster Bulgarian investment in Kosovo, and that it would lead to stepping up the bilateral exchange of goods. ‘To this end, it is necessary to improve connectivity between countries in the Western Balkans by building high-quality, stable infrastructure,’ the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria emphasised.
In the conclusion of her speech, Deputy Prime Minister Zaharieva welcomed the fact that the Chambers of Commerce and the businesses of both countries create new jobs, which allows Bulgarian businesses to be competitive, and feel confident and capable of new investments in the future.
More photos
