In reaction to the election of Tomislav Nikolić as President of the Republic of Serbia, Bulgarian Foreign Minister Nickolay Mladenov said:
23 May 2012 News
"We welcome the election of Tomislav Nikolić as President of the Republic of Serbia and congratulate the Serbian people on holding democratic and open elections. We expect the rapid formation of a workable and viable government that would accelerate Serbia’s European integration process and that would continue the ongoing reforms in the interest of the country’s citizens. Bulgaria supports the European perspective of Serbia as well as the deepening of good-neighbourly relations and co-operation on all fronts. The new Serbian authorities face a decisive phase in the initiation of negotiations on EU membership and we expect the newly-elected President and Parliament to continue the previous efforts in this regard. Mr. Nikolić will have a key role in this process. We will continue to be a responsible and reliable partner to Serbia for the sake of prosperity and security of both our peoples.
Last but not least, we expect the achievement of further progress in dialogue with Priština, which will lead to a sustainable improvement of relations between Serbia and Kosovo, and a further strengthening of regional stability.
I want to thank former President Boris Tadić, who, during his term, has done much for the European orientation of Serbia and good-neighbourly relations with Bulgaria."