Bulgarian Foreign Minister: We will continue to support Western Balkan countries’ bid to EU membership, but they must also fulfill their responsibility

“We will continue to support the efforts of the six partner countries on their path to the EU, but they must also take their responsibility to look to the future and follow the reform process," Bulgaria’s Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva told a news conference on November 9 after a video conference with the Foreign Minister of the Republic of North Macedonia, Bujar Osmani.

The talks are part of the first joint presidency of the Berlin Process for the Western Balkans and aim to prepare for the Berlin Process summit tomorrow, where Zoran Zaev and Boyko Borissov will talk.

"It is not good for the EU to bring problems from outside. Good neighbourly relations and solidarity are needed more than ever," said Minister Zaharieva.

I am convinced that good neighbourly relations and the strict implementation of bilateral commitments are the way to ensure regional stability and to resolve all outstanding issues. "Neighbourhood and solidarity are more needed now than ever when the world is engulfed in an unprecedented coronavirus crisis and security crisis, given the horrific terrorist attacks in Vienna, Nice, Paris and elsewhere in the world," she said.

The EU reaffirmed its commitment to the region by including the Western Balkans in the region's reconstruction plan, Bulgaria's Foreign Minister said.

We are convinced that connectivity is a key factor in building trust and good neighbourly relations between the countries of the Western Balkans, bringing them into line with European values ​​and standards. The facilitated movement of goods, services, capital and people will keep our economies alive and our industries competitive, especially in times of crisis like the current one," Zaharieva added.

In today's talks, we focused on the connectivity of young people and the role of civil society, she said.

"It is the young generations who will build the region's shared European future. That is why we must work even more actively to ensure access to quality education, good mobility, social integration, employment in order to stop their emigration abroad," said Zaharieva

The leaders of the Western Balkans will sign two key declarations and all this will allow the countries in the region to move closer to EU standards and norms, explained Minister Zaharieva.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas is also taking part in the press conference, as Germany holds the presidency of the Council of the EU.

The Berlin Process is an initiative launched in August 2014 by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, which aims to expand economic cooperation between the European Union and the countries of the Western Balkans.

For the first time, the format is co-chaired by a Member State of the Union and a candidate country.

Osmani and Zaharieva spoke after Bulgaria notified the European Commission on Friday that it could not support the negotiating framework for the Republic of North Macedonia, as it does not guarantee protection of Bulgaria's interests.

At the heart of Bulgaria's position on Skopje's EU membership talks is the request for implementation of the Treaty and the parliament's framework position from 2019, which sets as conditions Skopje to suspend claims for recognition of the so-called "Macedonian minority" in Bulgaria; to use the phrase "official language of the Republic of North Macedonia", which cannot be considered as a recognition by the Bulgarian side of the existence of the so-called. "Macedonian language"; to be accepted that "North Macedonia" refers to the state and not the geographical region, part of which is in Bulgaria.