Bulgaria will actively support Kosovo in its preparation for EU membership
02 December 2013 News
"The relations between Bulgaria and Kosovo were established from the moment our country was one of the first to recognize the Republic of Kosovo as an independent state. The time has proved that we made the right decision because ever since the Kosovo institutions work towards building the state system, conducting reforms and treading the path of European integration." This was said by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Kristian Vigenin at the joint press conference with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kosovo, Enver Hoxhaj, who is visiting the country at the invitation of his Bulgarian counterpart.
"I am here as a friend of Bulgaria because the citizens of Kosovo are very grateful to your country for the support in the establishment of Kosovo," pointed out Minister Hoxhaj. Bulgaria has always been an important partner for the construction of the state of Kosovo, he added.
Kristian Vigenin gave a positive assessment of the local elections, held yesterday in Kosovo. "We believe that they constitute another important step towards turning Kosovo into a country that can more confidently progress on the path to the EU," said the Bulgarian Foreign Minister. For the first time free and democratic elections were held in all Kosovo municipalities, which will enable the Serbian citizens to integrate into the institutions of northern Kosovo, said Minister Enver Hoxhaj.
During today’s meeting, the two top diplomats signed a Memorandum of Cooperation in the field of European and Euro-Atlantic Integration between the governments of the two countries. "We supported the historic agreement reached between Kosovo and Serbia, which is an important step for both countries towards their EU membership. With the Memorandum signed today, Bulgaria will have the opportunity to actively support Kosovo in its preparation for EU membership, sharing our own experience, " said Kristian Vigenin. On his part, Enver Hoxhaj expressed appreciation for the efforts made by Bulgaria as a member state to support the European path of Kosovo.
At today's meeting, the two ministers discussed issues of bilateral relations. According to Kristian Vigenin, the good political dialogue between Bulgaria and Kosovo will allow them to concentrate on the development of the relations in all other areas of mutual interest - trade and economic cooperation and cooperation in the field of culture and education. In this regard, the two ministers have agreed to accelerate the work on signing a Double Tax Avoidance Agreement and on the negotiations on the entry into force of the Agreement on the international carriage of passengers and cargo, as it was announced at the press conference. The completion of the work on the two agreements and the establishment of joint commission on trade and economic cooperation between Bulgaria and Kosovo will contribute to strengthening the contacts between the business sector on both sides, which is a priority of the Bulgarian government, added Kristian Vigenin.
The Bulgarian Foreign Minister reiterated the country's support for the membership of Kosovo in all regional formats of cooperation, as well as the willingness of Kosovo gradually to become part of international organizations, including the UN, once the country decides to apply for membership in the organization. In his words, our country supports the Kosovo visa liberalization with the EU.
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