site.btaPM Borissov Talks about Balkans' EU Perspective at SEECP Summit

Sofia/Brdo pri Kranju, April 24 (BTA) - Speaking at the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) Summit in Brdo pri Kranju, Slovenia, on Tuesday, Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said that there is no alternative to the Balkans' EU perspective and that the SEECP remains a leading political format for open and honest discussions on the matters of importance to the region. The SEECP Summit summarized the progress achieved during the Slovenian rotational presidency of the initiative, the Government Information Service said.

In his speech, Borissov recalled the commitment made at last year's SEECP Dubrovnik Summit that the issues of the Western Balkans would be placed high among the priorities of the EU during the Bulgarian EU Council Presidency. He underscored that the last four months have made the topic current in all Member States, and both the EU institutions and international financial organizations are working on it. Agreements have been reached to keep the topic in the focus of the next presidencies of the EU Council, he added.

"We expect the EU-Western Balkans Summit in Sofia on May 17 to be key for the Western Balkan countries' EU perspective, the deepening of economic integration, regional cooperation and the building of the connectivity that our countries need so much," Borissov noted.

The Bulgarian PM welcomed the European Commission's Strategy for the Western Balkans and its readiness to start EU accession negotiations with Albania and Macedonia, but he stressed that the EU perspective should be for all Balkan countries.

On the sidelines of the summit, Borissov met with his Slovenian counterpart Miroslav Cerar with whom he discussed the management of the migrant crisis and the relations between Balkan countries.

Cerar described as key Bulgaria's role in the common European efforts to solve the refugee problem. He noted that Bulgaria is an example of managing the migration pressure and protecting the EU's external border. In this context, Borissov acquainted him with the results of the EU-Turkey Leaders' Meeting in Varna (on the Black Sea) on March 26. "Turkey is our neighbour and we always strive to have pragmatic relations. The agreement with Ankara has to be observed so that the migration problem can be solved," the Bulgarian PM said.

The Slovenian Prime Minister expressed full support for Bulgaria's active efforts to achieve connectivity in the Balkans, and personally thanked Borissov for his commitment to the Western Balkan countries' EU perspective.

The two prime ministers also discussed the deepening of bilateral economic contacts. They described as a positive step the launch of direct flights between Ljubljana and Sofia.