Meeting of Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the Danube Region, 20 June 2024, Vienna
24 June 2024 News
On 20 June 2024, a Meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Danube Region took place in Vienna in the framework of the Austrian Presidency of the EU Danube Strategy. Bulgaria was represented by Deputy Foreign Minister Ivan Kondov.
The meeting focused on the difficult geopolitical environment and security threats in the region, as well as on cooperation in the Danube region as an example of gradual integration of the EU candidate countries.
In his speech, Deputy Minister Kondov underlined that in the context of the complicated geopolitical situation in the region, security cooperation is of key importance for the Danube countries. This includes tackling serious and organised crime and strengthening joint efforts against the threat of terrorism, and to this end it is important to promote long-term strategic partnerships between law enforcement authorities and to work towards improving border control systems.
Deputy Minister Ivan Kondov also noted that against the backdrop of the challenges, the strategic role of the EU enlargement process is growing. For Bulgaria, the principle of own merits is of key importance, which is the strongest guarantee that the enlargement policy will maintain its transformative power in the interest of the citizens.
In conclusion, a joint statement of the participants in the meeting was adopted, strongly condemning Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine, Russia's repeated military strikes on the Danube port infrastructure and the encroachment on freedom of navigation. It reaffirmed the commitment to strengthen cooperation in the Danube region, including in the field of foreign policy and security, as well as support for initiatives to counter illegal migration, human trafficking and smuggling as a key element for security in the region. A call was made for a strategic EU enlargement policy as an engine for regional stability and development.
In the margins of the meeting, a joint dinner of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Danube Region, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Western Balkan countries and the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Friends of the Western Balkans Group took place.
Copyright: Michael Gruber/BMEIA
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