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“Starting EU membership talks alone is not enough to strengthen the geopolitical orientation of the Western Balkans. It is necessary for the countries of the region to comply with the EU criteria and to effectively implement the necessary reforms, including ending the funded disinformation campaigns against member states, “said Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva at today’s Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels. foreign ministers format.
“I agree that we should hold discussions in the Western Balkans more often,” added Bulgaria’s top diplomat. – Unfortunately, however, our discussions four years ago, when Bulgaria was President of the Council of the EU and insisted on increased engagement with the countries in the region, were the same as today. At that time, our neighbors again blamed other countries for wanting to justify the insufficient implementation of reforms. The lack of full accession of the countries of the Western Balkans to EU decisions and positions in the field of foreign and security policy is also worrying. “
Ekaterina Zaharieva pointed out that Bulgaria is among the most active and consistent supporters of the enlargement process with the countries of the Western Balkans and will continue to be so. We are convinced that the accession of these countries will increase the strategic autonomy of the EU, but only if they respect the fundamental values of the Union, she added.
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The Council gave a comprehensive review of the situation in the Western Balkans, and in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic there were signs of political destabilization, complicating the socio-economic situation, slowing down reforms, sharpening nationalist rhetoric, increasing third-country influence who do not share EU values.
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Ministers reviewed transatlantic relations following the adoption of the Joint Communication and Council Conclusions on the subject in December 2020. They welcomed the resolute action of the new US administration to return to multilateralism and restore traditional partnerships with a focus on EU relations. In preparation for the EU-US Summit on 15 June 2021, they called for specific joint actions to be defined to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic and its socio-economic consequences, as well as to address a wide range of foreign policy issues.
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Member States’ foreign ministers held a video conference with US Special Envoy for Climate Change John Kerry. The EU and the US reaffirmed their leading role in global efforts to combat climate change and agreed on joint diplomatic initiatives to promote greater commitment from third countries to meet the objectives of the Paris Agreement. Cooperation to ensure the success of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26) in November 2021 in Glasgow was identified as an immediate priority.
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The Member States expressed solidarity with Bulgaria and the Czech Republic on the activities of Russian representatives on their territory, which are incompatible with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, and supported the response.
The Council gave a brief overview of the situation in Belarus, Afghanistan, Lebanon and the Sahel, the progress of talks on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on Iran’s nuclear program, the postponed elections in Palestine, the upcoming G20 summit on global health on 21 May 2021.
At the end of today’s sitting, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ekaterina Zaharieva thanked her colleagues for their joint activities over the past 4 years.
“Thank you for the strong friendship and solidarity that I have always received at this round table,” said the Bulgarian Foreign Minister.
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