Ekaterina Zaharieva in Bucharest: I am happy the Romanian Presidency followed Bulgaria’s example in focusing on the Western Balkans
01 February 2019 News
The Deputy Prime Minister for Judicial Reform and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mrs. Ekaterina Zaharieva took part in the Informal Meeting of Foreign Affairs Ministers from the Member States of the European Union (Gymnich) in Bucharest on January 31 – February 1, 2019. Among the matters discussed at it were the Western Balkans, the Eastern Partnership, Venezuela and China. The discussion on China continued in the format of EU Member States and Candidate Members.
‘I am happy that the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the EU has lived up to its promise, namely, to make the EU enlargement and the Western Balkans the key focus of its work. Today, as my Romanian colleague Teodor Meleșcanu underscored, "We follow Bulgaria’s example, we learn and discuss very important topics",’ Minister Zaharieva said.
The main emphasis in the discussions of the Eastern Partnership was the 10th anniversary of that initiative, as an occasion for summing up what has been accomplished and an opportunity for setting new, even more ambitious goals. The Bulgarian Foreign Minister voiced her appreciation for the focus placed on that matter by the Romanian Presidency. She also stressed the need to provide support for building sustainable societies and statehood in the countries of the Eastern partnership. It is in our common interest to work together for improving energy security and connectivity.
In the framework of their discussion on Venezuela, the Ministers voiced strong concern about the drastic escalation of tensions in that country over the past months. They made an insistent appeal for new, democratic presidential elections to be held there, which would contribute to the peaceful emergence of that country from the present crisis. They also expressed their support for setting up an International Contact Group that would pool together the efforts of the member states and the international partners for building confidence and the creation of suitable conditions for a reliable democratic process in Venezuela. The EU is united in its support for the National Assembly as the only democratic institution in Venezuela. Minister Zaharieva underscored the need for the EU to take a clear and unified stand in support of the efforts for finding a peaceful and democratic solution to the situation in Venezuela, in keeping with that country’s constitution. Bulgaria also appealed for a careful legal analysis of the case of Venezuela.
On the second day of their meeting, the ministers discussed the policy of the EU towards China, with part of the discussion also involving the countries applying for EU membership. The Ministers united around the opinion that relations with China are multi-layered and quite diverse in their nature. Therefore the approach of the EU should be both principled and pragmatic, whereby the Union should seek to exploit its competitive advantages. A common approach and proper coordination are needed between the EU members states and candidate members. The Bulgarian Foreign Minister spoke in support of deepening dialog with China, subject to strict adherence to the rules and values of the EU. It is necessary to work towards synergy between the EU initiatives with respect to connectivity and the Chinese ‘One Belt One Road’ initiative.
She reminded her colleagues of the decision adopted at the last 16+1 Summit held in Sofia (July 2018), to set up a Global Partnership Center in Sofia.
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