site.btaNational Assembly Chair Meets with Croatian Foreign Minister

The European Union will increase its security with Bulgaria's accession to the Schengen area, National Assembly Chair Rosen Zhelyazkov said at his meeting with Croatian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Gordan Grlic-Radman who is on an official visit to Bulgaria at the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mariya Gabriel.

“We believe that Bulgaria should already be in the Schengen area,” Radman said. He also expressed Croatia's support for this country's membership in the euro area.

Zhelyazkov thanked for the support Bulgaria receives and relies on to achieve these goals. He told Croatia’s top diplomat that taking a decision on Bulgaria's accession to Schengen during the upcoming Spanish presidency of the Council of the EU remains a top priority and Bulgaria will highly appreciate Croatia's support in the next few months.

Bulgaria's accession to the Schengen area will make the EU's external borders more secure, Zhelyazkov stressed. Practical cooperation in the Western Balkans will contribute to strengthening the stability and security of the region, he added.

The Russian aggression in Ukraine has brought to the fore the need to diversify the EU's energy supplies, Zhelyazkov pointed out, adding that Bulgaria, like Croatia, actively participates in the implementation of important EU strategic infrastructure initiatives, ensuring successful diversification. He noted the measures taken here to improve energy connectivity - the commissioning of an interconnector with Greece and the work on an interconnector with Serbia.