Europe

Home page

Europe

Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia to back European integration of Western Balkans

11 December 2010 21:12 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Bulgaria, Greece and Serbia agreed here Saturday to back the European integration of the Western Balkans and to boost regional cooperation, APA reports quoting news.xinhuanet.com website.

After a two-hour trilateral meeting, the foreign ministers of the neighboring countries signed a joint declaration agreeing that Bulgaria, Greece and Serbia would work together to support the European integration of the Western Balkans.

They specifically agreed to support Serbia’s application to become a member of the European Union (EU).

The three countries also declared they would "jointly promote stability, genuine reconciliation and good neighbourly relations in the region by working to overcome the legacies of the past through dialogue and cooperation."

In addition, they agreed to actively participate in regional cooperation initiatives, focusing on projects of common interest in the fields of transport, energy, environment and employment.

However, the declaration noted that the speed at which the countries move towards EU accession should depend on their own achievements and progress in meeting the accession requirements set by the EU.

Bulgaria and Greece, as EU members, had the historical responsibility to help the Western Balkan countries to join the EU, Bulgarian Foreign Minister Nickolay Mladenov told a joint press conference after the signing ceremony.

His Serbian counterpart Vuk Jeremic said European integration was a strategic goal of his country and it greatly appreciated the support from Bulgaria and Greece.

Responding to a question about the long-running name dispute that blocks the European integration of Macedonia, Mladenov said it was a "bilateral issue" but "it is high time to find a reasonable compromise that would allow Macedonia to move forward."

Greek Foreign Minister Dimitris Droutsas said: "We want to see Skopje becoming a member of the European family soon, and this is what we are working for, and we hope that also Skopje knows and realizes what has to be done in order to join us in the European family."

Macedonia and Greece are locked in a 19-year dispute over the use of the name of Macedonia. Athens insists that Macedonia’s name implies territorial claims against its own northern province, also called Macedonia.