Ekaterina Zaharieva Confirmed Bulgaria’s Support for Eastern Partnership Countries
11 June 2020 News
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ekaterina Zaharieva confirmed Bulgaria’s support for the six Eastern Partnership countries.
“Bulgaria is consistent in its support for the faster political association and economic integration of the Eastern Partnership countries, taking into consideration the various levels of their ambitions,” Minister Zaharieva said at an informal videoconference of EU Foreign Ministers and their counterparts from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and the Ukraine. “We would like to reconfirm our resolute support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all partner states,” the Bulgarian Foreign Minister said.
She went on to add that cooperation with Eastern Partners in the spheres of security and disaster risk management needs to be treated with special attention in view of the entire region’s stability. “We support the strengthening of dialogue in this area and of cooperation with our partners in the common security and defense policy,” she said, referring to the long-term objectives of the EU’s policy on the Eastern Partnership post-2020.
Minister Zaharieva recalled that states should work together to counter disinformation and noted the EU’s assistance to its Eastern Partners in combating the COVID-19 pandemic crisis and its consequences.
The topics discussed at the video conference included the Joint Communication “Eastern Partnership Policy beyond 2020” and long-term objectives in the spheres of the economy and connectivity, reform, the rule of law, security and technology. The participants expressed their hope that the upcoming video conference of the heads of state and government in a 27+6 format on 18 June would send ambitious messages.
The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, and the Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement, Oliver Varhelyi, were among the speakers at the meeting.