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Prime Minister Borissov is no longer in quarantine and will therefore be able to meet his North Macedonian counterpart Zoran Zaev live in Sofia, Deputy Prime Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva told BNT this morning.
As has already become clear, the summit of the Berlin Process countries, which will take place today, was scheduled to be online.
“You know Prime Minister Borissov was in quarantine, he was with COVID-19, but thank goodness yesterday and her second test was negative, so Zoran Zaev could come. Unfortunately, due to my quarantine, Minister Buyar Osmani was not in Sofia yesterday. In any case, he will also be here today with Prime Minister Zaev. “I have not had a separate conversation to focus on the negotiating framework with Minister Buyar Osmani,” Zaharieva added.
A little later, the news was announced by Borisov himself, who published a photo of himself wearing a mask with the Bulgarian coat of arms.
“I am negative for COVID-19. This showed a second consecutive test. In accordance with the orders of the health authorities, I can meet with the Prime Minister of the Republic of North Macedonia, Zoran Zaev, and hold the Berlin Summit,” wrote on social media.
For the first time, two countries in the region are chairing such a meeting, jointly organized by Borissov and Zaev. There are three priorities outlined: economy and connectivity, safety and good neighborliness.
“Today’s summit has nothing to do with the enlargement of the EU. Yes, it is preparing the countries of the Western Balkans, but it is not a meeting where a negotiating measure is debated or decided. We have comments not only regarding the text of the story. We have comments on the progress of the infrastructure projects, along Corridor №8. In the next EU funding framework, they have not submitted a single east-west infrastructure project. And this is the connection with Bulgaria. Today I will ask you when you will convene the intergovernmental commission to monitor the implementation of the agreement ”, emphasized the foreign minister, after Bulgaria officially announced a few days ago that it does not accept the negotiating framework for North Macedonia’s accession to the EU.
Today’s visit of our neighbor’s Prime Minister was planned in connection with the joint presidency of Sofia and Skopje, Zaharieva said.
“He will also speak with Prime Minister Boyko Borissov about open issues between the two countries. I would not say that the presence of Zoran Zaev is totally related to the enlargement process. They are co-chairs of the Berlin process,” he explained.
“For more than a year and a half, we have been pushing for a more intensive implementation of the neighborhood agreement with Skopje. In our opinion, progress has only been made in the area of tourism, that is, we see an increase in the tourist flow in both countries. Enough, ”Zaharieva also commented.
Our Minister of Foreign Affairs appealed to the Republic of North Macedonia not trust the fact that someone will pressure Bulgaria to close its eyes for breach of contract.
“Let’s try to focus together on how to make up for what we missed a year and a half, declaring and declaring what they will not fulfill, what Bulgaria was like, what our claims were. Let’s go back to the implementation of the contract and return to Good neighborly tone,” he called our Chancellor.
Subsequently, the government information service issued an official statement stating:
Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and Prime Minister of the Republic of North Macedonia Zoran Zaev will welcome other participants to the online meeting from Sofia, including leaders of the Berlin Process countries, representatives of European institutions and others. interested international and regional organizations, such as the Regional Cooperation Council. , CEFTA, OECD, European Investment Bank, Bank for Reconstruction and Development, World Bank and Regional Center for Youth Cooperation (RYCO) “.
The Council of Ministers clarified that in the framework of the summit, the participants will review the achievements of last year and take important decisions for the region and its European perspective by consensus. A key success of the joint host of Bulgaria and North Macedonia is the preparation of the two declarations – for the Common Regional Market and on the Green Agendaprepared with the strong support of the European Commission, the Regional Cooperation Council, CEFTA and partners in the process. The declarations, which aim to bring the region into line with EU norms and standards, are expected to be signed online during a summit in Sofia by the leaders of the Western Balkans.
The Berlin Process for the Western Balkans is a political-diplomatic initiative, ppersonally appointed by German Chancellor Angela Merkel in August 2014. Participants in the process are the countries of the Western Balkans: Albania, Serbia, the Republic of North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Kosovo, as well as the countries: Germany, Austria, France, Italy, Croatia, Slovenia, Greater Britain, Poland, Greece and Bulgaria. . The idea of the Berlin Process is to complement and support the process of European integration of the Western Balkan countries. The activity of the process is directed in three main directions: economy and connectivity; reconciliation and good neighborly relations; security. The objective of the initiative is to create favorable conditions to optimize regional cooperation through initiatives and projects, the results of which have a real and visible impact on economic security and stability and bring the countries of the Western Balkans closer to the norms and standards of The EU.
