The First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr Dačić met with his Bulgarian colleague in Sofia

07. Nov 2022.
The First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia Ivica Dačić met today with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria Nikolay Milkov on the sidelines of the ministerial meeting of the Central European Initiative (CEI) in Sofia.

The First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Dačić congratulated the host on the successful organisation of today's CEI ministerial meeting and welcomed Bulgaria's presidency of this important regional initiative, which is taking place at a complex geopolitical moment.

The head of Serbian diplomacy pointed out that Serbia put special importance on the development of bilateral relations with neighbouring and friendly Bulgaria. He also emphasised that the relations were very good and stable and that they had been raised to a qualitatively higher level over the past few years through joint efforts, as evidenced by the intense political dialogue at a highest and top levels, but also numerous mutual visits by high officials of the two countries.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria, Nikolay Milkov, said that in the current unstable times, special attention should be paid to the improvement of neighbourly relations and cooperation within regional initiatives, such as the CEI.

Milkov pointed out that the priorities of the Bulgarian CEI presidency were the economy and social reconstruction from the consequences of the pandemic, with an emphasis on vulnerable sectors, strengthening connectivity through the promotion of the transit of people and goods, as well as the implementation of a much more ambitious EU accession agenda.

In this context, the head of Bulgarian diplomacy underlined once again that Bulgaria would continue to support Serbia in the process of European integration.

The interlocutors also discussed the improvement of economic and energy cooperation, as well as the implementation of joint infrastructure projects, such as the gas interconnection, which is important for the supply of gas to the entire region. Considering that the trade exchange between the two countries reached a record level in 2021, the interlocutors expressed hope that this trend would continue in the future.