site.btaBorissov, US Assistant Secretary of State Wess Mitchell Discuss Western Balkans Countries' Progress

Sofia, May 2 (BTA) - Prime Minister Boyko Borissov has talked on the telephone with US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Wess Mitchell, the government information service said on Wednesday. Mitchell praised highly the leadership of Borissov and of Bulgaria's EU Council Presidency regarding the Western Balkans. He emphasized the active efforts for the Euro-Atlantic perspective of those countries and for ensuring connectivity among them and between them and their European neighbours.

Mitchell noted that the US fully supports all of Bulgaria's regional initiatives. The two discussed the progress of each of the six Western Balkans countries and the challenges facing the Skopje-Athens talks and Pristina-Belgrade relations.

Borissov stressed the need to solve some of the problems among the Western Balkans countries before the May 17 EU-Western Balkans Summit in Sofia, so that agreement on the implementation of specific projects can be reached.

The US Assistant Secretary of State underlined Bulgaria's efforts to reach the 2 per cent defence spending target, holding it up as an example to other NATO members. He said Bulgaria had managed to develop a reliable plan for reaching that target, a plan hailed by the Alliance, and is cited as an example to countries which do not have plans yet.

The US official is planning to visit Bulgaria in the coming weeks.