S. DIMAS: I would like to welcome our friend Minister Mladenov. I must say that he is one of the first Ministers to come to Greece during my time in office, and I am particularly pleased to welcome him.
We discussed issues of interest to both countries and the further tightening of the very close and excellent relations we have with Bulgaria. And we will continue our discussion of these issues after this press conference.
We discussed the High-Level Cooperation Council and its upcoming meeting. We agreed for it to take place in the coming months, when the weather is better, giving us the opportunity to officially open another border crossing point.
We also discussed the issue of the Western Balkans and the European perspective of the countries in the region, which both our countries support, on the condition, of course, that the prerequisites set by the European Union are honored – respect for European justice and the other terms and conditions – and of course I want to stress the importance of respect for good neighborly relations amongst the countries of the region.
We discussed economic and trade relations and the further improvement of these relations: there is much room for improvement in this area, as well as on the issue of energy, pipeline links and cooperation on cross-border water. Of course, I once again assured the Minister of Greece’s firms support for the Schengen process.
Thank you very much.
N. MLADENOV: I would like to thank Mr. Dimas for today’s meeting. Bulgaria fully supports the efforts of the Greek government and Greek society to overcome the crisis. We see Greece as a priority partner within the framework of the European Union and here in the Balkans. There are a lot of issues that we could resolve together and that will be raised at the second High-Level Cooperation Council we have planned.
As Minister Dimas stressed, we are to inaugurate border crossings, infrastructure plans, the development of joint tourism packages. Moreover, Bulgaria will soon adopt a law or legal framework that will allow all Schengen visa holders to come to our country. This will create more movement and economic activity.
The linking up of the Bulgarian and Greek energy networks is also a priority issue, and there are prospects in this area. We raised the issue of the Western Balkans. We share a lot of common ground with Greece regarding the European perspective of the Western Balkans and how we can achieve this. The way to achieve this is for the countries of the Western Balkans to meet the standards of European legislation, to show respect for good neighborly relations, to meet the conditions of regional cooperation so that the whole of the Balkans can succeed in the historical role it is being called upon to play.
Finally, we touched on the issue of the situation in the Middle East: the need for what is happening in Syria to stop as soon as possible. Wepointedtotheneedtostrengthencooperationbetween the European and Arab countries so that we can avoid similar situation in the years to come.
When the temperature rises a little in Sofia – it’s very cold right now – I will be pleased to welcome Mr. Dimas to Sofia.
JOURNALIST: Two questions: The first is whether you know exactly where the border stations will open – whether that has been determined at all. The second is whether you discussed the Burgas-Alexandroupoli pipeline issue – Bulgaria’s backing out. Thank you.
S. DIMAS: It’s between Komotini and Makaza, and I hope that when the weather improves we will be able to hold the opening of this station. We discussed energy issues, and of course we discussed the Burgas-Alexandroupoli pipeline issue. Our cooperation with Bulgaria is close enough that we can confront all these issues together, each bearing in mind the other’s views.
N. MLADENOV: I would just like to add that during the years of the Cold War between Bulgaria and Greece, an artificial iron curtain was raised. For the past 20 years, our two countries have been doing everything possible to rid ourselves of the last remnants of this iron curtain, adding more and more infrastructure plans. Because these ties between our countries are natural – we have been fellow travelers for centuries – there has been this movement, commercial activity. And now, in the context of the European Union, these activities need to develop smoothly and unimpeded.
That is why we attach such great importance not just to road networks, but also to the linking of energy networks, so that when one of our countries is facing difficulties, they will be able to get energy from their neighbor.
A. RADEVA: AdelinaRadeva, from Bulgarian state TV. Mr. Dimas, I would like to ask you – beyond Bulgaria’s stance on the pipeline – whether this pipeline remains a strategic goal for Greece, and, if so, would it be economically feasible for Greece to participate.
S. DIMAS: If you mean the Burgas-Alexandroupoli pipeline, the relevant studies have been carried out for this project, there are various evaluations. This is an issue on which Bulgaria has made its position known, and there is a follow-up. And of course the continuation of this discussion will take place on the friendly terms that characterize the whole range of relations between the two countries.
A. RADEVA: The second question I want to ask has to do with the concern of many of my fellow Bulgarians regarding the stability of Greek banks. As a member of the Greek government, can you say with certainty that the Greek banks are stable? This interests us because many Greek banks have a significant presence in Bulgaria.
S. DIMAS: I can clearly assure you that this is one of the main focuses of the agreement, the package agreed upon in October: that the Greek banking system, which is strong, will be even stronger after the negotiations that are under way.
January 18, 2012