08.11.2019
Reconciliation, regional cooperation and good neighborly relations are key factors for the European integration of the Western Balkans, Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said in his speech before the participants in the Strategic Dialogue on the Western Balkans Leaders Meeting in Geneva. According to Prime Minister Borissov, in order to have stability and economic progress and to change the image of the region in a positive direction, the old arguments and tensions as well as the hate speech and xenophobia must remain in the past. According to the Prime Minister, overcoming the heritage of the past can happen on the basis of shared values such as tolerance, inclusive actions and mutual trust.
Prime Minister Borissov put an emphasis on the importance of regional cooperation and gave the Berlin process as one of many successful examples in this direction. "Bulgaria has proven that it is a Member State that can successfully take responsibility for the development of the European project. This also gives us confidence that we will successfully manage the Presidency of the Berlin Process, which is the next challenge for us," the Prime Minister said. Prime Minister Borissov reminded that next year our country will take on this highly responsible task, together with the Republic of North Macedonia. Borissov said that as chairman of the Berlin Process, Bulgaria would continue to promote the integration process of the Western Balkan countries, because it is an instrument for achieving sustainable stability, security, peace and prosperity in the region.
Prime Minister Boyko Borissov specifically addressed the Republic of North Macedonia and Albania, urging them not to give up their efforts on the path to EU membership. According to the Prime Minister, they should not get discouraged, but continue to work with a steady pace in the direction that guarantees the greatest chance for successful development of the entire Western Balkans region, namely European integration.
Prime Minister Borissov also focused the attention of the participants in the meeting on the topic of the future of young people in the Western Balkans. "They want to live in a clean environment, good education, stable and open societies and decent jobs. If these essential elements are secured, young people can be a factor for prosperity and hope for the region," Borissov said. According to him, the disappointment of the younger generation may not only lead to an increase in brain drain and emigration, but - much more worryingly and even more dangerously - to extremist and radical influences and moods.
In conclusion, Prime Minister Boyko Borissov thanked the organizers of the meeting. The Prime Minister welcomed the work of the World Economic Forum in support of public-private cooperation in the Western Balkans. Borissov pointed out that this activity also fits into a number of areas in which Bulgaria operates in the region: better connectivity in all its dimensions - transport, energy, digital, contacts between people, achieving stability, economic growth and creating real prospects for young people in the region to for them and for their nation-states to succeed.
