site.btaIvan Kondov Takes Part in Informal Breakfast of Central European Initiative Foreign Ministers in New York

On the last day of his agenda for the General Debate of the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Bulgarian Foreign Minister Ivan Kondov participated in an informal breakfast of the chief diplomats of the Central European Initiative (CEI) countries, chaired by the Albanian CEI Presidency, Kondov's ministry reported on Friday.

The discussion focused on the renewed impetus to EU enlargement amid the new geopolitical circumstances and Russia's ongoing aggression against Ukraine, which has seriously affected international security and stability.

Taking the floor, Kondov expressed his conviction that European integration is the best way to ensure and promote peace, security, prosperity, democracy, human rights and rule of law in the best interests of the people in the countries of the EU enlargement process. He thanked the Albanian CEI Presidency for organizing the meeting.

The Bulgarian Foreign Minister stressed that regional cooperation and good neighbourly relations are crucial in the preparations for a country's accession to the EU and are a cornerstone of the enlargement process. In this context, he pointed to the CEI's role as an important regional platform for political dialogue and cooperation and an intermediary in the transfer of know-how among the CEI countries through result-oriented capacity-building projects in support of European integration.

Kondov expects the CEI to keep its attention on such matters as connectivity and sustainable mobility in the region. He believes that a well-developed infrastructure can give a strong boost to economic development and enhanced security.

It is essential for the EU to have stable, reliable and prosperous nations as its immediate neighbours, to see them share and promote the common European values of democracy, rule of law and human rights, including the rights of individuals belonging to minorities and communities, he said. He noted that European integration calls for efforts on both sides of the process, and that EU enlargement continues to be governed by the principle of being judged on one's own merits and the fulfillment of strict conditions and criteria applying to all. Kondov said he looks forward to the full EU membership of all candidate countries.

Later, the Bulgarian Foreign Minister met in New York with his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan. He assured Mirzoyan that Bulgaria views Armenia as a traditional economic partner and wants to develop comprehensive, long-term and mutually beneficial cooperation. Kondov called for even deeper bilateral trade and economic relations and for an upgrade of cooperation in various fields of shared interest. He congratulated Armenia on its desire to deepen its relationship with the EU and on Yerevan's continuing commitment to the common European values and democratic reforms despite the unstable security environment and the complicated geopolitical context. This, along with the existence of a large Armenian community in Bulgaria, has a positive impact on bilateral cooperation, he said.

In the corridors of the UN General Assembly, Kondov had a short meeting with Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib. They discussed the alarming developments in the Middle East. Kondov briefed Bou Habib on the Bulgarian government investigation into media reports implicating Bulgaria in the supply of communication devices to Lebanon and Syria, saying that there is no evidence whatsoever of Bulgarian involvement in the production, trade or transfer of said devices.