Creating synergy between the BSEC and the other formats of regional cooperation is one of the goals of the Bulgarian chairmanship of the Organization
21 November 2013 News
The creation of synergy between the BSEC and the other formats of regional cooperation is one of the goals of the Bulgarian chairmanship of the Organization. This was said by the Foreign Minister Kristian Vigenin during his lecture at the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs on the topic "Synergies for the European Perspectives: the Balkans, the Region, and the Black Sea." For Bulgaria the model for regional cooperation is the interaction among the states of the Visegrad Group. We highly value the level of preparation of common positions, and we are thankful for the invitations extended to Bulgaria for participation in the framework of the Visegrad Plus format, he said, expressing the readiness of our country to actively participate in discussions and specific activities during this year's Hungarian Presidency.
According to Kristian Vigenin, one of the possible areas in which we can give our contribution is the Western Balkans, because Bulgaria and Hungary have a common vision and understanding of the developments and perspectives of the countries from that region. “Bulgaria actively and consistently supports the EU enlargement process. The candidate countries are our immediate neighbours and we have an interest in establishing a region of stability, prosperity and security where the European values, principles and laws prevail,” the Foreign Minister added. The Bulgarian top diplomat emphasized that the current difficulties facing the EU should not weaken the dynamics of the enlargement process; on the contrary, promoting the European integration of the Western Balkans must and should become indeed part of the solution to the crisis.
Minister Vigenin stressed on the fact, that the regional co-operation is an important tool in the process of European and Euro-Atlantic integration, but the synergies among the existing initiatives are necessary for achieving greater efficiency. “Bulgaria is trying to develop the major regional instrument – the SEECP. We hope that during the present Romanian chairmanship of this regional organization progress will be achieved in concrete fields such as the Parliamentary dimension of the SEECP, where we have proposed to host a secretariat,” he said.
Kristian Vigenin presented the priorities of Bulgaria regarding the forthcoming in the first half of 2014 rotating Chairmanship-in-Office of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation. “The creation of synergy between the BSEC and the other formats of regional cooperation is one of the goals of the Bulgarian chairmanship of the Organization. We will work for identifying the points of convergence between the priorities of BSEC and the Black Sea synergy, and we will endeavour to find concrete projects of mutual interest,” he said. Among the objectives of the Bulgarian chairmanship is the closer cooperation of BSEC with the Danube Strategy as far as both basins are interconnected and common projects could be beneficial to the economic development and strengthening the relations of the countries of the Black Sea region with the Central Europe.
In his lecture Minister Vigenin focused also on the Eastern Partnership initiative in the context of the upcoming at the end of November Summit in Vilnius. He expressed confidence that a strong and long-term political signal of solidarity and support on the path to democracy and building the institutions of constitutional state, civil society and market economy and will be sent from Vilnius to the partner countries.
In conclusion, the Foreign Minister said that the numerous initiatives for the Black Sea region have to lead to a logical result – the creation of a Black Sea strategy of the EU. “We realize that this subject, although a special resolution of the European Parliament is dedicated to it, is not on the agenda yet. Bulgaria is prepared to participate in discussions regarding the possibility to establish a Black Sea strategy of the EU,” Kristian Vigenin said.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Kristian Vigenin also met with representatives of the Bulgarian community in Budapest. The focus of the conversation was on the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Association of Bulgarians in Hungary, which will be marked in 2014.
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