site.btaPresident Radev: Bulgaria Ready to Deepen Cooperation with Bosnia and Herzegovina in Defence, Security

Sofia, April 12 (BTA) - Bulgaria is ready to deepen its cooperation with Bosnia and Herzegovina in fields of security and defence, in light of Sarajevo's Euroatlantic perspective, said here Thursday President Rumen Radev during his meeting with the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Denis Zvizdic, Radev's Press Secretariat reported.

Bulgaria has walked an important path in order to absorb NATO's high standards and can share its experience, Radev said, noting that this country is developing a catalog of the opportunities for education, qualification and training in the fields of security and defence, which Bosnia and Herzegovina can take advantage of.

Radev called on Bosnia and Herzegovina to continue with the reforms, especially concerning the rule of law, administrative, and social and economic reforms. He also stressed the importance of continuing cooperation in the field of justice and home affairs, adding that trans-border crime, religious radicalization and terrorism can only be tackled through joint efforts.

The Bulgarian head of State welcomed Bosnia and Herzegovina's efforts to achieve progress in the European integration process and receiving EU membership candidate status. "I hope that by the end of the Bulgarian EU Presidency you will receive the desired answer. Bulgaria has made huge efforts to bring the Western Balkans' European perspective back into Europe's spotlight, which is one of the Bulgarian EU Presidency's priorities," Radev said.

Radev and Zvizdic agreed that there are many untapped opportunities in economic cooperation between the two countries. Two-way trade stands around 150 million euro annually, which is still far from its potential, the President said. He recalled that Bulgaria was first to recognize Bosnia and Herzegovina's independence and sovereignty back in 1992 and continues to support its efforts and the development of bilateral relations.

Zvizdic said that he believes all citizens of his country appreciate the fact that Bulgaria was the first to recognize Bosnia and Herzegovina, adding that 26 years later, Bulgaria is once again playing an important role for its development, referring to the Bulgarian EU Presidency's priority concerning the Western Balkans' European integration. According to him, the European perspective is important in light of the region's stability and peace. Without it, the processes within the Western Balkans would be hard to predict, the Chairman of the Council of Ministers said, voicing hope that his country will receive EU membership candidate status by the start of next year.