22.08.2023
Prime Minister Acad. Nikolai Denkov will welcome the Prime Ministers of Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis and of Romania Ion-Marcel Ciolacu on 9 October 2023 at the Euxinograd Residence. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Moldova’s President Maia Santu have been invited to the meeting that was agreed on during Acad. Denkov’s one-day visit to Athens yesterday.
The main topic of the talks in Varna will be regional connectivity and, in particular, the project for a corridor from Thessaloniki via Kavala, Alexandroupolis, Bourgas and Varna with a possibility for an extension to Moldova. The idea is to build a modern transport, communication and energy infrastructure along the route, which will boost economic and political ties between the countries involved. The future corridor will function even more effectively when all the countries that it crosses become members of the Schengen Area and the borders between them are abolished.
The European Union (EU), Greece, the countries in the Western Balkans, Bulgaria, Romania and Moldova support the negotiation of lasting peace in Ukraine based on the peace plan of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. This is what was declared last night at a dinner in Athens hosted by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. In addition to the leaders of the enumerated countries, the event was attended by the President of the European Council Charles Michel, Ursula von der Leyen and Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Charles Michel and Ursula von der Leyen reiterated the EU’s interest in EU enlargement towards the Western Balkans as well as to Moldova and Ukraine. However, the process must be paralleled by reforms in these countries, the European leaders stressed.
In Athens, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked again Prime Minister Acad. Nikolai Denkov for Bulgaria’s support for Ukraine. At their bilateral meeting, the Prime Minister recalled for Ukraine’s Head of State that the Bulgarian government had already taken a decision to supply to Ukraine one hundred armored personnel carriers from the arsenals of the Ministry of Interior. The procedure is to be completed by an act of ratification by the Parliament.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy reiterated his country’s interest to purchase the two Bulgarian reactors and the equipment therewith from the Belene Nuclear Power Plant that did not materialize. The Ministry of Energy is currently estimating the costs of the possessions, the Prime Minister explained.
Given Russia’s aggressive doings in the Black Sea, Ukraine’s President raised the issue of concerted efforts of the Black Sea countries that are NATO members with the intention to provide security there. Ukraine is already conducting talks on this matter with Türkiey and Romania and invited Bulgaria to join them.
