site.btaBulgarian President Radev Attaches Special Importance to Greece's Support for Bulgaria's Schengen Entry

Bulgarian President Radev Attaches Special Importance to Greece's Support for Bulgaria's Schengen Entry

Athens, June 23 (BTA special correspondent Asen Boyadjiev) - "Your support for our admission to the Schengen area is particularly important because this is the only way to guarantee effective suppression of human trafficking and terrorism in the region," Bulgarian President Rumen Radev told Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos here on Friday. "It is high time that the rest of the EU Member States realized this, too," the Bulgarian head of State said at the start of his session with his host. He thanked Pavlopoulos for Greece's support for Bulgaria's EU membership.

Earlier in the day, Radev arrived on a two-day state visit to Greece, his first in Southeastern Europe after taking office on January 22, 2017.

"We firmly backed Bulgaria's EU accession, and we work very well and cooperate within the Union. Bulgaria's accession to the Schengen area is an outstanding issue, and we support this accession with all our strength because we believe that this is the right thing and it will be achieved," President Pavlopoulos said.

"In the present conditions we realize the crucial importance of a united Europe - something for which both we and you work. Everybody on a global scale must be clear that a strong Europe, a federative Europe is needed, and we will be working for this," the Greek head of State assured his guest.

"As to the Balkans, our region, we hold shared positions regarding the EU and NATO accession of our neighbouring countries," Pavlopoulos pointed out, adding that they must comply with certain prerequisites for this. "Our neighbours must above all respect international law as a whole, the acquis communautaire, and most of all history and civilization. This third prerequisite is the proof of their intention and will to establish good-neighbourly relations. The lack of respect precisely for history and civilization, for our culture, however, is a bad signal," Pavlopoulos noted. "It is not possible to disrespect, say, the world cultural heritage status of Hagia Sophia," the Greek President said. In his words, the European perspective is open to those countries, but it depends on respect for international law.

President Radev described his first visit to the region as indicative of the strategic nature of partnership within the EU and NATO for the two countries. "In all areas, Bulgaria and Greece obviously set an example of good-neighbourly relations based on European values," the Bulgarian head of State pointed out.

"We categorically hold the same views on the way the European perspective of the Balkans should be implemented," Radev said. "Both Greece and Bulgaria support those countries, and we will continue to support them, but they must meet the membership criteria and, what is very important for the conditions in the Balkans, good-neighbourly relations, mutual respect for history must be a sine qua non condition for the start of negotiations on membership," the Bulgarian leader said.

He noted that Greece and Bulgaria have similar positions on the priorities on the European agenda concerning security, migration, economic development, employment, energy and transport connectivity and the future of Europe at large.

Radev called "indicative" the growth of two-way trade, which has already reached 3,000 million euro annually. In his words, this is a hallmark of the good bilateral relationship. The President also noted the increased tourist flow between the two countries. "Millions of Greek and Bulgarian citizens already travel freely, they vacation, work and study in the neighbouring country which, again, is a result of the good bilateral relations and the two countries' EU membership," Radev noted. He also praised Greece as one of the topmost home countries of foreign investment in Bulgaria, adding that business contacts need to be incentivized further.

"We attach paramount importance to energy and transport connectivity," Radev said, expressing the hope that the Bulgaria-Greece gas interconnector will be implemented on schedule. He noted that the interconnector will make it possible for Bulgaria as well as the countries of Central and Eastern Europe to diversify their gas supply sources and routes.

"Our countries' efforts to cope with illegal migration, in counterterrorism and in enhancing cooperation between the armed forces of Greece and Bulgaria are among the main factors guaranteeing stability in the our tension-fraught region," the Bulgarian President noted. He is convinced that bilateral relations will continue to be advanced for the greater security and overall progress of the Balkan region.

Earlier in the day, the Bulgarian head of State laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and was welcomed with a formal ceremony in front of the Presidential Palace in Athens. Following their one-to-one session, Radev and Pavlopoulos joined their official delegations for plenary talks.