Minister Kristian Vigenin met with Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva
01 November 2013 News
Minister of Foreign Affairs Kristian Vigenin met today with the European Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response Kristalina Georgieva. The main topics of discussion were the situation in Syria and the increased refugee pressure on Bulgaria as a result of the crisis.
Minister Vigenin assured that the government is taking the necessary measures for dealing with the difficult situation. "The question is not only about increasing the capacity of the temporary accommodation centers. The understanding that the problem is complex and requires a long-term plan for the integration of the refugees, for guaranteeing employment and access to education for their children becomes increasingly clear, “ he said.
On her part, Commissioner Georgieva reaffirmed the solidarity of the European Commission with Bulgaria at a time when the country for first time is facing such situation with the influx of refugees. In her words, the EC has the full understanding of the importance of the problem and our country can rely on help for obtaining additional financial support and expert assistance.
Kristian Vigenin and Kristalina Georgieva defined the attempts to spread xenophobic attitudes against the refugees as completely unacceptable. "We can deal with these attitudes by explaining to the society in the best way possible who these people are and what forced them to seek asylum in our country," the Foreign Minister said. "The issue is too important, it affects us all and it should not be a question of party confrontations," Minister Vigenin said.
Commissioner Georgieva presented the latest analysis of the European Commission and the humanitarian community on the developments of the Syrian crisis, its impact on global scale and the measures to be taken to cope with it. She expressed concern about the limited access of humanitarian organizations to the Syrian territory. "The internal resources of the conflict-affected people are so exhausted that an increasing number of them are becoming refugees. The only way to prevent this is to provide more access for humanitarian assistance in Syria, "she said.
The Foreign Minister and the European Commissioner shared the common view of the need for the international community to intensify its efforts towards influencing the parties to the Syrian conflict so that there will be an end to the military actions as soon as possible. They expressed hope that the upcoming Geneva 2 conference will contribute to finding a political solution to the crisis.