Bulgarian government focuses on reforms (Nikolay Mladenov)
19 October 2010 News
Bulgaria will finalise its preparation for inclusion in the Schengen zone by March 2011. The government retains its main focus on the reforms and will do its best to achieve improvement of the European Commission’s assessment under the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism. Those were the main messages of the Bulgarian Foreign Minister Nikolay Mladenov during his visit to the Czech Republic for the 90th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Sofia and Prague.
Yesterday evening, the Bulgarian Foreign Minister met his Czech counterpart, Karel Schwarzenberg. At the working dinner, in the Chernin Palace, Nikolay Mladenov explained the proposed amendments to the Bulgarian legislation, related to the creation of specialized courts of law. The two ministers also discussed the possibilities of EU states to diversify energy supplies. As Nikolay Mladenov pointed out: linking Bulgaria to its neighbouring countries, via reverse-flow pipelines, is one of the main priorities of the Bulgarian government. The two ministers agreed upon establishing better cooperation between Bulgaria and the countries of the Visegrád Group, especially with issues concerning the Western Balkans.
Prior to their working dinner, Mladenov and Schwarzenberg opened an exhibition, 90th Anniversary from the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between Bulgaria and Czechoslovakia. ‘Relations between the peoples of both countries are older than 90 years. Many a time they have been warmer and more open than what the interstate relations allowed,’ said the Bulgarian Foreign Minister Nikolay Mladenov at the opening ceremony. Schwarzenberg, in turn, noted that a lot of Czechs moved to Bulgaria after the Liberation and helped create the institutions of the new Bulgarian state.
Earlier the same day, Minister Mladenov held two meetings with representatives of the two chambers of the Czech Parliament. ‘The problem with the Roma people is shared, but the responsibility lies mainly with our countries,’ the Bulgarian Foreign Minister said at his meeting with the Deputy Chairman of the Czech Senate Petr Pithart. The Foreign Minister and the Deputy Chairman also discussed Croatia’s accession to the EU.
The Bulgarian Foreign Minister gave a lecture at the Charles University, Prague, on The Global Role of EU: The Bulgarian Perspective. Nikolay Mladenov underscored that if the EU strives to be a global power, it should act as one.
Nikolay Mladenov’s visit to the Czech Republic continues with a meeting with the Czech Minister of Defence Alexander Vondra, which will take place later today.