Minister Nikolay Milkov: Bulgaria supports Bosnia and Herzegovina in the process of its European integration and Euro-Atlantic pathway
12 April 2023 News
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Elmedin Konaković, is on an official visit to Bulgaria, from 11 to 13 April, at the invitation of Minister Nikolay Milkov. The purpose of the visit is to intensify bilateral contacts with Bosnia and Herzegovina and to discuss opportunities for deepening cooperation in areas of mutual interest.
Among the topics discussed at the meeting were the regional and European agenda, including global security challenges, the situation in the region, Bulgaria's support for the European integration of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Western Balkan countries, as well as regional cooperation.
Speaking at a press conference, Minister Nikolay Milkov stressed that our country views its relations with Bosnia and Herzegovina within the framework of four main priorities, namely European integration and stability in the Western Balkans, increasing the activity of bilateral dialogue, security in the region, as well as joint work on upgrading the bilateral treaty and legal framework.
The Bulgarian Minister described as a ‘historic moment’ Bosnia and Herzegovina's EU candidate status on 15 December 2022. ‘Bulgaria could provide practical and political assistance by supporting a friendly country, taking into account its own merits and ambitions.’
Minister Milkov underlined that our country supports the reforms in Bosnia and Herzegovina to implement the 14 priorities of the European Commission, which are necessary for the start of the EU accession negotiations. There is an agreement signed between the two countries in 2019 to support the European and Euro-Atlantic integration of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the implementation of which our country is ready to work.
Minister Elmedin Konaković pointed out that Bulgaria was the first country to officially recognise Bosnia and Herzegovina's independence and this remains permanently recorded in the country's history. ‘Bulgaria understands very well our difficult path towards the European Union, where we need to change the legislation and move to a completely different system,’ he added. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina described Bulgaria's active participation in the Berlin Process as extremely important.
Economy, tourism, increasing trade, energy and security were noted as potential areas for the development of bilateral cooperation.
In the course of the talks, Minister Konaković invited the Bulgarian side to participate in the two economic forums to be held in Mostar and Sarajevo this year.
In the framework of the visit, on 11 April, Ministers Nikolay Milkov and Elmedin Konaković were special guests at the iftar organised by the General Mufti's Office, which was attended by ambassadors of countries from the Middle East and Africa region, as well as EU member states.
As part of the programme of the visit to our country, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina was received by the Head of State Rumen Radev and the Prime Minister Galab Donev.
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