site.btaPM Borissov in London: "Western Balkans Nearer to EU Accession than Ever Before"

London, July 10 (BTA) - "I believe that the Western Balkans' European perspective is now closer than ever. Bulgaria made huge efforts for this priority - from the signing of the Treaty of Friendship, Goodneighbourliness and Cooperation with the Republic of Macedonia, the numerous meetings we held with the leaders of the six countries, through the consensus (reached) between Athens and Skopje about the State's (Macedonia) name, to the last meeting of the Council of the EU, which affirmed the horizon for starting pre-accession negotiations with the Republic of Macedonia and Albania," said here Prime Minister Boyko Borissov at the plenary session of the Fifth Summit within the Berlin Process on Tuesday, the Government Information Service reported. He thanked British Prime Minister Theresa May for the invitation, adding that this is a recognition of Bulgaria's work in the region.

The Berlin Process, initiated by German Chancellor Angela Merkel in 2014, encourages the European integration of the six Western Balkan countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia) and their cooperation with likeminded European nations (Austria, Croatia, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Slovenia and the United Kingdom). Bulgaria is joining this year because of the EU-Western Balkans Summit that took place in Sofia in May 2018.

The Bulgarian Prime Minister noted that connectivity and investments in the region must be viewed as factors for improving the living standard of people in the Balkans and instruments that contribute to the region's security and stability. These are key elements for increasing closeness that also create conditions for economic growth and goodneighbourly relations, he added. Borissov outlined the advantages of the transport corridors, noting that their financing and implementation will bring new investments and jobs.

The close cooperation between the EU and the Western Balkans on security and migration is mandatory. European security is indivisible, the Bulgarian Prime Minister said, commenting the challenges in the sector. He noted that during its EU Presidency, Bulgaria included in the discussions representatives of the countries in the region and demanded that dialogue with them continues on political and expert level. "When we work together to tackle illegal migration, organized crime, terrorism and violent extremism, we can achieve better results. The exchange of information and opinions, as well as increasing capacity, are of key importance," Borissov noted.

"We must be very united in the tasks we set ourselves concerning the connectivity of the Balkans," Borissov said earlier in the day on his way to a working lunch of heads of state or government of the 16 Berlin Process countries, the Government Information Service said.

The PM said that Greece participates in this year's format at Bulgaria's insistence because, in his words, the Balkans must be viewed together and not separately. Borissov noted that Bulgaria's participation in the Berlin Process is a huge recognition for its accomplishments over the past six months and more specifically for the results achieved during the EU-Western Balkans Summit in Sofia.