NEWS

Bulgaria and Croatia Will Seek Joint Solutions to Migration, Speeding up Economic Growth and EU Enlargement

The excellent relations are a prerequisite for increasing trade, mutual investments and tourism, Presidents Rumen Radev and Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic said

Bulgaria and Croatia share common positions on a lot of key topics on the European agenda and will deepen dialogue on migration, accelerated economic growth and EU enlargement policy.  This was the common view shared by Presidents Rumen Radev and his Croatian counterpart Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, who held a bilateral meeting within the framework of the 53^rd Munich Security Conference. The two Presidents were unanimous that the excellent relations are a prerequisite for increasing trade, mutual investments and tourism.

The plethora of crises the EU is facing today should not diminish support for enlargement towards the Western Balkans, the two Presidents emphasized at the meeting. “Our region will benefit a lot if these countries join the efforts to cope with the common challenges security is facing,” the Bulgarian President said. Both Rumen Radev and Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic spoke in favour of accelerating the process of reforms in the EU applicant countries, which should strengthen the democratic values and the rule of law, and guarantee effective protection of the rights of the national minorities.

The countries of Southeastern Europe should seek to enhance regional cooperation modelled on the Visegrad Four, President Radev further pointed out and highlighted the high level of economic integration and security partnership achieved by the Central European countries. Regional cooperation in the Balkans and EU enlargement policy will be the focus of Bulgaria's Presidency of the EU Council in the first half of 2018, it emerged from Rumen Radev’s words.

The Bulgarian President highly appreciated the Three Seas Initiative of his Croatian counterpart, which aims to deepen energy, transport and digital connections among the countries of the Adriatic, the Baltic and the Black Sea region and confirmed Bulgaria's readiness to be an active participant in the process.

At the next meeting of the participant states in the initiative to be held in Wroclaw, the common challenges the security in Central and Eastern Europe are facing will be discussed.

Within his participation in the Munich Security Conference, President Rumen Radev also talked with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and US Senator John McCain. The Bulgarian Head of State highly appreciated Bulgaria's cooperation with the United States in cyber security, migration and the fight against terrorism, and voiced Bulgaria’s hope that this partnership would deepen further.

Later in the day President Rumen Radev will hold a bilateral meeting with his Polish counterpart President Andrzej Duda.