On Thursday, 3 October, Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs Miltiadis Varvitsiotis met with the Ambassador of Bulgaria, Valentin Poriazov.
During the meeting, they discussed European issues, with emphasis on the Union’s enlargement and the accession perspectives of the Western Balkan countries. They had converging views on the issue of support for these countries’ EU membership bids, on the condition of strict compliance with conditionality and respect for the principle of good neighbourly relations.
There was extensive discussion of the migration issue. The Alternate Minister asked the Bulgarian Ambassador to brief him on Bulgaria’s migration policy, and Mr. Poriazov talked in detail about his country’s border surveillance system and asylum policy.
The Alternate Minister then set out in detail Greece’s positions on the 2021-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework and the allotment of Cohesion Policy funding.
During the discussion, which took place in a friendly climate, they confirmed the excellent level of bilateral relations, which are founded on friendship and trust between the two peoples. In this context, the Bulgarian Ambassador noted that a meeting of the Greek-Bulgarian High-Level Cooperation Council is pending, as the last such meeting took place in 2016.
Finally, the two sides agreed to continue their cooperation for the benefit of both countries.
October 3, 2019