Borissov welcomes Zaev to the summit (Photos, video)

Prime Minister Boyko Borissov welcomed the Prime Minister of the Republic of North Macedonia, Zoran Zaev, in Sofia, where the summit of the initiative of the Berlin Process, of which the two countries are co-hosts this year. This was announced by the government information service.

In July 2019, Prime Minister Borissov participated in the Poznan summit, where it was announced that the Berlin Process would be jointly organized by Bulgaria and the Republic of North Macedonia. In the previous two years, the Bulgarian Prime Minister also participated in the context of the initiative’s summits, in London in 2018 and in Trieste in 2017. Prime Minister Borissov’s serious commitments to the initiative are a natural continuation from our country’s constant active policy towards the Western Balkans, as well as from the successful Bulgarian presidency of the EU Council in 2018, when Bulgaria managed to raise the issue. on the European perspective of the Western Balkans.

Today, the leaders of the Western Balkans, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron, Prime Ministers of Italy Giuseppe Conte, of Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis, of Croatia Andrej Polravecch, of Slovenia Janez Janša. The summit will also be attended by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, the European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement, Oliver Varhei, and the Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC). Maylinda Bregu, as well as representatives from CEFTA, the OECD, the European Investment Bank, the Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the World Bank and the Regional Center for Youth Cooperation (RYCO).

The current Sofia summit builds on the achievements of the previous six meetings in this format (in Berlin, Vienna, Paris, Trieste, London and Poznan) and confirms the role of the Berlin Process as a significant factor in optimizing regional cooperation across the light of the perspective of the countries of the region.

Within the joint household of Bulgaria and the Republic of North Macedonia in 2020, the main priority was to improve connectivity in all aspects: transport, energy, digital; connectivity between people, uniting young people, including through education. Connectivity is key for the region, as it can make it stronger and more competitive, especially since the region is a market of around 20 million people. A new element of the current co-sponsorship of the Berlin Process is the “Green Agenda” announced by the European Commission for the Western Balkans as part of the “Green Deal for Europe”, as well as the new direction: regional cooperation in the field of health .