Kristian Vigenin: For us it is important Ukraine to be in the European orbit
07 December 2013 News
The best development from our perspective is the political leaders to engage in dialogue and to agree within reasonable time frames on the signing of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement. Bulgaria expressed its position that for us it is important Ukraine to be in the European orbit. This was said by Minister of Foreign Affairs Kristian Vigenin in the BNT program "Life and other things." He emphasized that the issue is important not only in economic and political terms, but also in view of the Bulgarians living in Ukraine.
"The reason Ukraine to be cautious over the Association Agreement has no connection with South Stream. The problems there are of completely different nature, " the Minister said. He pointed out that Bulgaria has clearly stated that the developments with South Stream should fully comply with the European legislation. According to Minister Vigenin, the specific details regarding the concerns of the European Commission are to be analyzed.
"From our perspective, these requirements of the EC are met," said Minister Vigenin. According to him, it is reasonable for the EC to engage in direct dialogue with the Russian side to resolve the issues that arise. "If EC has a problem with the bilateral agreements, it is appropriate to clearly communicate them to the partner countries first, which unfortunately is done with great delay, and also to Russia," the Minister added.
Minister Vigenin pointed out that the Bulgarians in the UK are in general highly skilled, with prestigious jobs, many are students. "The Bulgarian migrants there cannot constitute any concern for the UK," explicitly said the minister. In his words, there are no sociological or statistical data to confirm that there will be a mass influx of people in Britain after 2014. The Foreign Minister referred to the growing nationalism in Europe and the xenophobic sentiments that are focused on Bulgarians and Romanians. " The problem is that the negative campaign on the Bulgarian and Romanian migrants in the UK is ongoing for months," added Mr. Vigenin. He said that at the end of January he is planning to visit London, where he will hold meetings with the Foreign Minister, the Minister for European Affairs and MPs. "We are in contact with the British government. We are discussing options to hold a meeting of our representatives with British MPs before the end of the year," added Mr. Vigenin. He was categorical that the issues of the Bulgarians and Romanians in the UK and the Syrian refugees in Bulgaria cannot be compared.
"Here on the Balkans, among our neighbors, we must maintain the closest contacts with the Republic of Macedonia and I think this is the foundation on which we should build our relations in future," said the Foreign Minister. "Without the signing of the agreement on good neighbor relations and cooperation Bulgaria cannot pave the way of Macedonia to the EU," added Minister Vigenin. He also said that the contacts at political level should be strengthened and the trust between the political leadership of the two countries and between the citizens should be enhanced. The Minister emphasized that the agreement on good neighbor relations and cooperation is not the only obstacle for the Republic of Macedonia on the path to EU membership but there are many other issues of domestic policy, which are at the focus of attention not only of Bulgaria but also of other countries. "Bulgaria is trying to assist in the preparation of Macedonia for the negotiations," added Minister Kristian Vigenin.