Joint statement of Minister Daniel Mitov and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Bert Koenders
06 October 2016 News
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria Daniel Mitov visited today the Kingdom of the Netherlands upon the invitation by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Bert Koenders. The Foreign Ministers issued a joint statement, in which they underlined the excellent relations between their two countries. They exchanged views on a wide variety of subjects, including bilateral cooperation, in particular in the economic field, as well as the future of the European Union, the rule of law and fight against corruption and organised crime, migration and the situation in the South-east of Europe and its neighbourhood.
Minister Mitov and Minister Koenders agreed that values such as tolerance, rule of law, democracy and solidarity are essential to the European Union and need to be brought to the fore especially in view of the present challenges from the inside and from the outside. Part of this is to continually work towards enhancing the rule of law.
The Ministers underscored their commitment to solidarity within the EU, and the responsibility of all Member States to find and apply common solutions to problems faced by the EU as a whole. Solidarity is key to further build the unprecedented prosperity the EU has brought to Europe. They emphasised that accepting the benefits of the EU also entails assuming the corresponding responsibilities and obligations.
In this context, the Ministers discussed the challenging circumstances faced by Bulgaria. They recognised the vital importance of protection of the EU external borders by Bulgaria for the EU as a whole and underlined the Bulgarian efforts in this regard, which are highly appreciated throughout the Union, while referring also to the launch of the European Border and Coast Guard taking place in Bulgaria today. The Ministers recalled the Bulgarian request for Member State contributions to border protection, and noted the Dutch contribution to Bulgaria in personnel and vehicles.
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