Co-operation in South Eastern Europe is key to regional stability
27 August 2013 News
“We will continue to support the process of co-operation in Southeast Europe, as my goal is to make Bulgaria much more active in this regard.” This was said by Kristian Vigenin at a meeting with the Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), Goran Svilanović, who is visiting Bulgaria at the invitation of the Foreign Minister.
They discussed the European perspective of the region as well as potential opportunities for the development of co-operation and priorities in this area. Minister Vigenin said that together with the RCC, a way can be found to enliven the process of European integration and help prepare countries for membership.
“The establishment of a stable region, following transparent rules, will result from the development of closer co-operation between all its countries - both the European Union Member States and those in the process of integration,” the Bulgarian Foreign Ministeremphasised. “Bulgaria and Romania have the necessary experience in preparation for membership, which can be shared with other countries in the region,” Kristian Vigeninsaid.
The Foreign Minister and the Secretary General of the RCC agreed that closer contacts and exchange of best practices in various areas of regional co-operation would help create opportunities for increased stability in the region and tackling new challenges. In this regard, Minister Vigenin emphasised that the adoption of the Strategy for South East Europe 2020, based on the specific characteristics and needs of the region, is an important step in the right direction. Goran Svilanović expressed his thanks for the support for the strategy and hoped that it would be successfully implemented after its possible adoption in November.
For Bulgaria, the parliamentary dimension of the SEECP is also an important factor in strengthening stability and co-operation in the region, the Foreign Minister said, adding that it was precisely to this end that Bulgaria’s proposal for the conversion of the Regional Secretariat for Parliamentary Cooperation into a permanent body headquartered in Sofiawas addressed.