“The EU and NATO are united as never before” – this message was addressed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Teodora Genchovska to the Ambassadors of the European Union and NATO and the Head of the Representation of the European Commission in Bulgaria during a working breakfast, at which a wide range of topics, including multilateral cooperation, the situation in Ukraine and current events in the Western Balkans were discussed.
Minister Genchovska stressed that Bulgaria’s foreign policy priorities in the context of the current dramatic events remain unchanged and are even more valid. Bulgaria’s membership in the EU and NATO is a civilizational choice and the basis of our national security, as well as a guarantee of prosperity and well-being of our citizens, our Foreign Minister said.
“I take this opportunity to emphasize how much we appreciate the solidarity and unanimous support of the Alliance in strengthening NATO’s Eastern Flank”, Minister Genchovska said, expressing Bulgaria’s strong support for further cooperation with NATO in the field of security and defence.
Regarding the situation in Ukraine, Minister Genchovska said that Bulgaria had joined the EU’s joint efforts to provide humanitarian aid. Our country has also opened its doors to receive Ukrainian refugees, adapting its procedures to provide the necessary assistance to those arriving.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has taken a leading role in the protection and evacuation of Bulgarian citizens and people of Bulgarian ethnicity from Ukraine and Moldova, but also of all Ukrainian citizens seeking asylum in our country and other countries, said Minister Genchovska. She told diplomats that nearly 3,000 Bulgarian citizens have been successfully evacuated from Ukraine so far.
On the topic of the countries of the Western Balkans, Minister Genchovska stressed that Bulgaria continues its unwavering support for their European integration, based on the principle of its own merits. EU integration is key to the region’s stability and remains the biggest stimulus for political and social reforms.
For the first time in two years, Deputy Foreign Ministers Velislava Petrova, Vasil Georgiev and Irena Dimitrova also took part in the working breakfast, presenting their priorities in the foreign policy departments entrusted to them.
