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Presidents Rumen Radev and Borut Pahor: Bulgaria and Slovenia Share a Common Responsibility for the Western Balkans’ EU Accession

The Bulgarian Head of State congratulated Borut Pahor for his contribution to achieving a national reconciliation in Slovenia

Bulgaria and Slovenia share a common responsibility for strengthening security and stability in the Western Balkans and for incorporating their neighbors from the region in the processes of European integration. This was the common stance of Presidents Rumen Radev and Borut Pahor, who held a meeting today in Ljubljana. The Bulgarian Head of State is on an official visit to Slovenia at the invitation of President Pahor.
EU and NATO enlargement with the Western Balkan countries is a key factor for the stability and prosperity of our region and Bulgaria’s efforts in this direction will continue during the Slovenian presidency of the Council of the EU in the second half of 2021.
In Rumen Radev’s words, “national reconciliation, promoting the political dialogue and establishing good-neighborly relations in the Balkans have no alternative and are obligatory steps towards achieving progress in the process of European integration.”
“National reconciliation should be achieved not only between the countries from the region, but also in domestic terms in each individual Southeast European country,” the Bulgarian President further said. Rumen Radev congratulated Borut Pahor  for his initiative on building a monument to the victims of all wars in Slovenia and for the will he manifested to implement it. “History should be depoliticized so that it does not yet again serve self-seeking interests and is not used to deliberately divide society and have a negative impact on the contemporary social processes,” Rumen Radev further stressed.
Both Presidents highlighted the necessity of having the debate on Europe’s future lead to building a strong European Union of security and solidarity. In the Bulgarian Head of State’s opinion, although Europe is facing a lot of external challenges, the most significant ones are namely the topics pertaining to the EU’s ability to maintain unity and solidarity and to restore the trust in the potential of the European institutions to solve the people’s problems. “The Europeans can join the EU only if the institutions focus their work on their problems, not on themselves,” Rumen Radev emphasized. The Head of State added that the smaller EU member states should be able to more actively participate not only in formulating the common European policies, but also in implementing the joint projects targeted at an industrial, scientific and economic integration.
The increase of bilateral trade, which exceeds 400 million euros, and also of tourism was highlighted as a positive trend in the relations between Bulgaria and Slovenia.  The delegation led by the Bulgarian President includes representatives of more than 30 Bulgarian companies and also representatives of institutions promoting the contacts between the businesses, which took part in the Slovenian-Bulgarian business forum in the capital Ljubljana.   
The excellent cooperation between Bulgaria and Slovenia in the energy sector creates prerequisites for a more active dialogue in this sphere, Rumen Radev and Borut Pahor noted. The Bulgarian President confirmed our country’s support for the projects leading to energy diversification in our region, those that enhance the security of energy supplies and are at more competitive prices for the consumers.
The prospects for expanding the bilateral contacts and exchange in the spheres of education and science were also discussed at the meeting between the two Presidents. “We should make sure that there are more opportunities for education in the Balkans and there is a high-quality scientific exchange in the region so that the young people will not seek a professional career outside our countries and realize their enormous potential namely in our region,” Rumen Radev said. President Borut Pahor confirmed Slovenia’s interest in strengthening the ties between the two countries in the spheres of science, education and culture.
Earlier President Rumen Radev and his wife Desilava Radeva were welcomed with an official ceremony by the Head of State of Slovenia Borut Pahor and his wife Tanja Pecar.
Within his official visit in Slovenia the Bulgarian President also held meetings with Prime Minister Marjan Sarec and the Speaker of the National Assembly Dejan Zidan.