site.btaBulgaria, Croatia to Pool Efforts to Deepen their European Integration, their Leaders Agree

July 9 (BTA) - Bulgarian President Rumen Radev conferred here on Friday with Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic within the framework of the Sixth Three Seas Initiative Summit , the head of State's Press Secretariat reported.

Radev and Plenkovic concurred that Bulgaria and Croatia will pool their efforts so as to deepen the two countries' European integration.

The accession of the two EU Member States to the Schengen Area was high on the agenda. The President and the Prime Minister agreed that the achievements of Bulgaria and Croatia should be acknowledged and should produce results. The Bulgarian head of State singled out the effective fight against corruption, crime and illegal migration as a key factor of Bulgaria's progress in its aspiration to join Schengen. "We share this road together, and we should be partners rather than competitors in this effort," Plenkovic emphasized for his part.

The two also discussed the European perspective of the Western Balkans. As the guest put it, the entire region stands to gain from achieving progress in the EU accession negotiations with the Republic of North Macedonia. Radev pointed out that the dialogue with Bulgaria's southwestern neighbour has been resumed in recent months. RY/LG
//

.