site.btaForeign Ministers of Bulgaria, Kosovo Discuss European Perspectives of Western Balkans

Sofia, April 20 (BTA) - Meeting with her Kosovar counterpart Behgjet Pacolli here on Friday, Bulgarian Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva said, quoted by her Ministry, that it is Bulgaria's goal whereby the European perspective of the Western Balkans become an irreversible process. Pacolli paid a one-day working visit to Sofia on Friday.

The two ministers discussed the Bulgarian EU Presidency and the efforts Bulgaria makes to support the European perspective of the Western Balkans. Zaharieva said that the goal is for the focus on the region and the support on the part of the EU not to end with the Bulgarian EU Presidency but to make the process a long-term European priority.

Pacolli said that the upcoming EU-Balkans meeting in May in Sofia is the first in such a format since 2003. The guest said that his country is working hard to carry out the necessary reforms. Pacolli thanked Bulgaria for the support it has rendered to Kosovo.

"One of the strongest bridges between Bulgaria and Kosovo, in addition to the friendship between the two countries, are the more than 10,000 Gorani who identify themselves as Bulgarians and who contribute in the relations between the two countries," Zaharieva said. She said she expects that Kosovo will protect and guarantee the rights of these people. Pacolli said that the people of Kosovo cherish warm feelings and sympathy to the Bulgarian minority who call themselves Gorani, and stressed that he has a personal commitment for the support of this group of people, which he had undertaken during his first visit to Bulgaria back in 2007. Pacolli said that the Gorani minority has a reserved quota of seats in the Kosovar Parliament. He said that if there is something that has not been done regarding the care for the rights of the Gorani in Kosovo, he will personally assist for its achievement.

Zaharieva expressed Bulgaria's readiness to continue to provide support to Kosovo in the implementation of the necessary reforms.

Regarding the dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade, Zaharieva said that progress may be achieved only through negotiations. She congratulated the two sides that the talks between them continue, despite the tensions of the past few weeks.

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The Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) Friday hosted a Bulgarian-Kosovar business forum, BCCI said in a press release. The forum was attended by the two countries' foreign ministers, Ekaterina Zaharieva and Behgjet Pacolli.

BCCI Chairman Tsvetan Simeonov said at the opening ceremony that the cooperation with Kosovo is an important element of the economic cooperation in Europe.

Zaharieva said that the governments of the two countries need to work for even closer ties by improving the infrastructure and the transport connections. She said that regarding connectivity, the business outperforms the politicians. Zaharieva said that the commercial exchange between Bulgaria and Kosovo has been growing each year, to reach record-high levels in 2017.

Pacolli urged the participants in the forum to be pro-active, to look for and create contacts. "The nearly 700 companies in the two countries who are already cooperating are not enough, nor is the modest commercial exchange of about 70 million euro annually. Perseverance and positive expectations are needed for the business to have success," he said.