Deputy Minister Ivan Kondov participates in the final meetings of the Presidency of the Republic of North Macedonia of the SEECP
17 June 2024 News
Deputy Foreign Minister Ivan Kondov participated in the final meetings of the concluding presidency of the Republic of North Macedonia of the South East Europe Cooperation Process (SEECP). On 13 June this year, in Skopje, he represented Bulgaria at the Foreign Ministers' Meeting and the Summit of Heads of State and Government of the countries participating in the Process.
Discussions at the high-level forum focused on the current geopolitical situation and security challenges, the need to deepen regional cooperation, improve connectivity in the region and EU enlargement.
In his remarks, Deputy Minister Kondov stressed that the construction of connecting infrastructure in all its dimensions — energy, transport, digital, especially the implementation of the transport corridors along the East-West and North-South axis, is a long-term investment for increasing the sustainability of the region. Technological development in education and guaranteeing the security of the digital infrastructure in Southeast Europe are the basis for achieving economic growth, improving and expanding the business environment, but also for stopping the negative trend of brain drain, the Deputy Foreign Minister added.
In his words, the current geopolitical context has further increased the importance of a consistent enlargement policy as a guarantee for the security, stability and prosperity of the region. In this context, Deputy Minister Kondov pointed out that Bulgaria will continue to be a firm supporter of the EU accession process, the leading criterion in terms of which is the individual progress of the candidate countries in meeting the relevant criteria and reforms.
‘For 28 years now, the SEECP has been an important factor contributing to the establishment of peace and good-neighbourliness in the region’, Deputy Minister Kondov further underlined. In this regard, he added that it is crucial to further enhance the added value of this political platform for confidence building among the participating countries, taking into account the basic principles of good neighbourly relations and regional inclusiveness.
During his visit to the neighbouring country, Deputy Minister Ivan Kondov held a meeting with representatives of the Bulgarians in North Macedonia, who shared some of their expectations and difficulties they face. For his part, the deputy foreign minister assured them that Bulgaria will continue to firmly defend the need for North Macedonia to fulfil its commitments, among which the issue of guaranteeing the rights of Bulgarians is a key one.
Before the start of the meeting, which took place in the Bulgarian Cultural Information Center in Skopje, the exhibition ‘Ecoconsciousness’ was opened.
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