Svetlan Stoev before the Foreign Ministers of the Berlin Process: Young persons and civil society in the Western Balkans are a key driver of change
08 June 2021 News
"The European perspective continues to be a key driver for change in the Western Balkans. Young persons and civil society in these countries play an important role in this process."
This was emphasised by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Svetlan Stoev in his statement during today's videoconference meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the Berlin Process for the Western Balkans hosted by the current German Presidency of the Initiative.
Minister Stoev expressed the Bulgarian support for focusing efforts on the so-called soft measures with a focus on person-to-person connectivity in the Western Balkans, as a basis for building trust, improving regional cooperation and strengthening good neighbourly relations. Priority is also given to cooperation between young persons in the region, which also includes access to education and scientific infrastructure, jobs, recognition of diplomas, professional qualifications, social inclusion and others.
"Bulgaria is consistent in its support for young people in the countries of the Western Balkans. The topic of youth was also one of the four priorities of the Bulgarian presidency of the Council of the EU in 2018,” said the Bulgarian Foreign Minister.
At the meeting, Svetlan Stoev also stressed that last year Bulgaria shared the responsibility to be a co-chair of the Berlin Process together with the Republic of Northern Macedonia, with the firm conviction that this is an expression of Bulgaria's consistent foreign policy and a logical continuation of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU and the EU-Western Balkans Summit in 2018, when the topic of the European perspective of the countries in the region was raised high in the community agenda.
"We see the added value of the Berlin Process in its capacity to stimulate inclusive regional cooperation in the field of economy and connectivity in all aspects - transport, energy, the digital sphere, human relations, security," said Minister Stoev.
The Berlin Process for the Western Balkans is a regional initiative launched in August 2014 by German Chancellor Angela Merkel to support the efforts of countries in the region to meet the criteria for EU membership. Participants in the process are the countries of the Western Balkans - Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, the Republic of Northern Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro, and its co-sponsors and supporters are some EU member states such as Germany, France, Austria, Italy, Poland, Greece, Croatia, Slovenia and Bulgaria, as well as the UK.
Minister Svetlan Stoev thanked the German Presidency for organising the meeting of the foreign ministers as a good platform for open discussion on priority issues, for sharing ideas and experiences regarding the Western Balkans as part of the joint efforts to support the European future of the countries in the region.