The Croatian ambassador was summoned to the Foreign Ministry
19 May 2021 News
By order of the Minister of Foreign Affairs Svetlan Stoev, the Ambassador of the Republic of Croatia to Bulgaria, Jasna Ognjanovac, was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs today. It was adopted by Rumen Alexandrov, Director General for European Affairs. The reason for the meeting is a statement by Croatian President Zoran Milanovic after the Summit of Slovenia and Croatia with the countries of the Western Balkans, held on May 17, 2021 in Bardo near Kranj, in which he sharply attacked Bulgaria's policy towards European integration of the Republic of Northern Macedonia.
Before Ambassador Ognjanovac, the Director General described President Milanovic's statement as unacceptable and unjustified, which is disappointing given not only the excellent bilateral dialogue between Sofia and Zagreb and the unanimity on a number of topics on the European and regional agenda, but also the fact that neighbors of the region, Bulgaria and Croatia are naturally connected by the common interest of reform, stabilization and recent EU integration of the countries of the Western Balkans. It was emphasized that this process should be based on the respective achievements of each candidate country, while respecting the fundamental values of the Union, incl. on the principle of good neighborliness.
In response to a request for clarification of the reason for President Milanovic's statement, Ambassador Ognjanovac undertook to convey to Zagreb the position expressed by Bulgaria, noting the need for cooperation between Bulgaria and Croatia in order to ensure the stability of the Western Balkans region and its European perspective.