"Relations good, economic cooperation should improve"

SOFIA PM Ivica Dacic and his Bulgarian counterpart Plamen Oresharski agreed in Sofia that the two countries have an interest in promoting economic cooperation. They announced that a regular flight from Belgrade to Sofia will be introduced on March 30 next year, and a highway connecting Bulgaria and Serbia should be opened for traffic by the middle of 2016. "Relations good, economic cooperation should improve" Dacic added that a flight to Varna could also be introduced. They jointly said that relations between the two countries are developing very well, and the Bulgarian prime minister restated Bulgaria’s official support for Serbia's EU integration. At a press conference held after their meeting at the Bulgarian government, the two prime ministers announced that a joint meeting of the two governments will be held in the middle of next year. The Serbian prime minister said there is room for cooperation in the energy sector, and the Danube River is a completely unused potential. Dacic said that we have to work to improve railway transport. “We need to set ourselves ambitious goals, and the goal must be to build roads, not just for the sake of our citizens but also if we want Serbia and Bulgaria to be important transit countries,” Dacic said. Dacic said that he is happy about the agreement to hold a joint meeting of the two governments next year, including a trilateral with Romania, because cooperation between the three states is very important. He said that no two neighboring states in the region have all issues between them resolved, but stressed that no issues are irresolvable, except that they require effort to work them out. “I see no reason why some issues should be taboo, especially since we are all under the same sun here in the Balkans and share the same good and bad sides to the region,” Dacic said. He said that the question of the Bulgarian minority in Serbia is sometimes opened for reasons that are political, rather than to have it resolved, adding that Serbia is ready to deal with it. “We want it (Bulgarian community in Serbia) to be a bridge between our two countries rather that a source of problems,” the Serbian prime minister said, adding that an advisor of his is a member of the Bulgarian national minority. Dacic said that a joint history and similar tradition connects two countries despite the conflicts they had in the past, stressing that the current disunity of the Balkans is being used to create a “false picture that the Balkans is a second-class country compared to modern Europe.” “I have to say that I very strongly oppose this standpoint and believe that we have an obligation, for the future of our children, to overcome such an image, and this is only possible if the Balkan leaders cooperate well between them,” Dacic said. Oresharski said that relations between the two countries are developing very well, are heading in a positive direction and are beneficial to both countries. The Bulgarian prime minister said that not many countries adjacent to one another have such a good relationship. Oresharski said Bulgaria and Serbia still have certain issues to resolve but the fact that a problem is there is not near as important as the fact that there is a constructive tone in its solving. The Bulgarian prime minister said that his country supports the integration of the Western Balkans and Serbia in the EU, adding that it is in the interest of the EU that the neighboring countries are member-states. Our states have joint projects, especially when it comes to the Danube Strategy, he said. Oresharski added that he and Dacic also spoke about boosting trade through investment, stating that there has been a slowdown in trade between the two countries this year, but the reasons for that are justified. The real diplomacy is to encourage contacts between businessmen of the two countries, Oresharski said. The Serbian prime minister also had separate meetings with Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev and Parliament Speaker Mihail Mikov. (Beta) Tanjug

"Relations good, economic cooperation should improve"

Dačić added that a flight to Varna could also be introduced.

They jointly said that relations between the two countries are developing very well, and the Bulgarian prime minister restated Bulgaria’s official support for Serbia's EU integration.

At a press conference held after their meeting at the Bulgarian government, the two prime ministers announced that a joint meeting of the two governments will be held in the middle of next year.

The Serbian prime minister said there is room for cooperation in the energy sector, and the Danube River is a completely unused potential.

Dačić said that we have to work to improve railway transport.

“We need to set ourselves ambitious goals, and the goal must be to build roads, not just for the sake of our citizens but also if we want Serbia and Bulgaria to be important transit countries,” Dačić said.

Dačić said that he is happy about the agreement to hold a joint meeting of the two governments next year, including a trilateral with Romania, because cooperation between the three states is very important.

He said that no two neighboring states in the region have all issues between them resolved, but stressed that no issues are irresolvable, except that they require effort to work them out.

“I see no reason why some issues should be taboo, especially since we are all under the same sun here in the Balkans and share the same good and bad sides to the region,” Dačić said.

He said that the question of the Bulgarian minority in Serbia is sometimes opened for reasons that are political, rather than to have it resolved, adding that Serbia is ready to deal with it.

“We want it (Bulgarian community in Serbia) to be a bridge between our two countries rather that a source of problems,” the Serbian prime minister said, adding that an advisor of his is a member of the Bulgarian national minority.

Dačić said that a joint history and similar tradition connects two countries despite the conflicts they had in the past, stressing that the current disunity of the Balkans is being used to create a “false picture that the Balkans is a second-class country compared to modern Europe.”

“I have to say that I very strongly oppose this standpoint and believe that we have an obligation, for the future of our children, to overcome such an image, and this is only possible if the Balkan leaders cooperate well between them,” Dačić said.

Oresharski said that relations between the two countries are developing very well, are heading in a positive direction and are beneficial to both countries.

The Bulgarian prime minister said that not many countries adjacent to one another have such a good relationship.

Oresharski said Bulgaria and Serbia still have certain issues to resolve but the fact that a problem is there is not near as important as the fact that there is a constructive tone in its solving.

The Bulgarian prime minister said that his country supports the integration of the Western Balkans and Serbia in the EU, adding that it is in the interest of the EU that the neighboring countries are member-states.

Our states have joint projects, especially when it comes to the Danube Strategy, he said.

Oresharski added that he and Dačić also spoke about boosting trade through investment, stating that there has been a slowdown in trade between the two countries this year, but the reasons for that are justified.

The real diplomacy is to encourage contacts between businessmen of the two countries, Oresharski said.

The Serbian prime minister also had separate meetings with Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev and Parliament Speaker Mihail Mikov.