Kristian Vigenin held talks with the Chairman of the EP Committee on Foreign Affairs, Elmar Brok
01 October 2013 News
Minister Kristian Vigenin held talks with the Chairman of the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs, Elmar Brok, during the second day of his working visit to Brussels.
During the meeting, Minister Vigenin briefed Elmar Brok on the emergency situation caused by the progressively increasing pressure from refugees, seeking asylum in Bulgaria. Minister Vigenin said that Bulgaria takes seriously its responsibilities as a country in close proximity to the conflict region. Due to the constantly increasing refugee flow to our country, we need to seek opportunities for receiving expert and financial international support. Kristian Vigenin expressed hope for a swift solution to the crisis in Syria, which at this stage is becoming more realistic. "We expect an agreement on the increase of resources allocated to Bulgaria under the European Asylum and Migration Fund (2014-2020) in view of the dramatic change of the refugee situation in the country," Minister Vigenin said.
The EU Eastern Partnership and the European Neighborhood Policy, the Western Balkans and in particular the relations with the Republic of Macedonia, as well as the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) were among the other topics discussed by Minister Vigenin and Elmar Brok. "The future development of regional cooperation should be kept within the already established formats, based on the principle of active participation of all countries in the region," Bulgarian Foreign Minister said.
Minister Vigenin stressed on the importance of the EU Eastern Partnership initiative and focused on the need to find a suitable solution for signing an agreement with Ukraine, as well as with the other partners who express their willingness and are ready for this step, in the context of the forthcoming November Summit in Vilnius.
Elmar Brok addressed the need for active measures by the EU to strengthen the cooperation with the Eastern Partnership countries and support for the democratic reforms in those countries that have been exposed to escalating pressure from Russia.