Ukraine holds an important place in Bulgaria's foreign policy priorities
16 February 2015 News
Ukraine holds an important place in Bulgaria's foreign policy priorities - not just due to the geographic, linguistic, historical, cultural and religious proximity of our two nations, but also due to the large Bulgarian diaspora on Ukraine's territory. This is a real bridge that connects us, said Minister Daniel Mitov at the joint press conference with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin, who is paying an official visit to Bulgaria at the invitation of his Bulgarian counterpart.
Minister Klimkin assured Daniel Mitov that nothing less than the high international standards of good treatment of the minorities would be applied to the Bulgarians in Ukraine. “Minister Klimkin pledged to help us send humanitarian aid to our compatriots in the Donbass region, who need our help,” Daniel Mitov said.
There is no disproportionate mobilization in Ukraine, said, in turn, Minister Pavlo Klimkin. All the developments in Ukraine, the struggle for our independence and freedom, for the European values, are not happening and will not happen along national lines, said Klimkin, stressing that the Ukrainians are united in their struggle for a single, democratic and European Ukraine. He added that only twenty Ukrainian citizens of Bulgarian origin were called up in the latest wave of mobilization.
Bulgaria and Ukraine share a common view on a number of problems of the modern world, including the dramatic events in Ukraine. “At our meeting, I reiterated our position in support of Ukraine's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity and of a peaceful settlement of the conflict in Eastern Ukraine,” the Bulgarian Foreign Minister said.
The future of EU-Ukraine relations was also among the topics of discussion between Daniel Mitov and Pavlo Klimkin. The Bulgarian top diplomat reaffirmed the support for Ukraine's European and Euro-Atlantic orientation. Bulgaria is ready to offer its support and expert assistance in this challenging process in the name of stability and prosperity of Ukrainian people, he said.
Minister Klimkin reaffirmed the strong commitment of the Ukrainian side to observe the Minsk arrangements as the only path to peace. "We are all hopeful about the results of the Minsk accords. I am encouraged by the opinion of my Ukrainian counterpart that this agreement gives a chance for first steps towards a de-escalation of the conflict," said in conclusion Minister Daniel Mitov.
After the joint press conference in the presence of Minister of Culture Vezhdi Rashidov, a ceremony was held for the return to Ukraine of two icons, cultural property illegally exported from Ukraine. With this act Bulgaria fulfills its obligations as a party to the Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property.
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