Bulgaria Calls on Kosovo, Serbia to Begin Dialogue

Politics » DIPLOMACY | July 24, 2010, Saturday // 17:57
Bulgaria Calls on Kosovo, Serbia to Begin Dialogue: Bulgaria Calls on Kosovo, Serbia to Begin Dialogue Bulgaria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nickolay Mladenov, calls on Belgrade and Pristina to begin a dialogue that would address specific problems related to the daily lives of their citizens. Photo by BGNES

Bulgaria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nickolay Mladenov, declared Saturday the time for dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina has come.

On the occasion of the publication of the International Court of Justice's Advisory Opinion on the accordance with international law of the unilateral declaration of independence in respect of Kosovo, the Bulgarian Foreign Minister stated:

"I welcome the Advisory Opinion and hope that it will lead to a new stage in the relationship between Serbia and Kosovo. The Court's Opinion does not affect Bulgaria's decision to recognise Kosovo's independence, on the contrary - it is a good reason for more states to recognise the newly independent country. The Opinion relates exclusively to Kosovo's specific situation after 1999 and should not be considered to set an international legal precedent.

Bulgaria calls on Belgrade and Pristina to begin a dialogue that would address specific problems related to the daily lives of their citizens. We have and will continue to develop good neighbourly relations both with Serbia as well as with Kosovo, and will continue to promote their European perspective. Bulgaria supports and will continue to contribute to the development of democratic state institutions that guarantee Kosovo's multi-ethnic character.

We confirm that both Serbia and Kosovo, as well as the rest of the Western Balkans, have our full support for their European perspective. Its successful realisation however depends on the achievements of each country in the region. Bulgaria recently ratified Serbia's Stabilisation and Association Agreement, which is an important step on the European path of our neighbour.

Bulgaria understands the emotions that the Opinion has evoked in Serbia. We believe however that emotions should gradually be overcome and that both countries should quickly make up for the missed time and opportunities to attain their strategic objective - membership in the European Union. We expect that Belgrade and Pristina will, through dialogue and in the interests of peace, stability and cooperation in the region, bring their bilateral relations in line with the principles and values on which the EU was founded."

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!

Diplomacy » Be a reporter: Write and send your article
Tags: International Court of Justice, advisory opinion, Nikolay Mladenov, kosovo, Serbia, Pristina, Belgrade, Kosovo independence

Advertisement
Advertisement
Bulgaria news Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency - www.sofianewsagency.com) is unique with being a real time news provider in English that informs its readers about the latest Bulgarian news. The editorial staff also publishes a daily online newspaper "Sofia Morning News." Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency - www.sofianewsagency.com) and Sofia Morning News publish the latest economic, political and cultural news that take place in Bulgaria. Foreign media analysis on Bulgaria and World News in Brief are also part of the web site and the online newspaper. News Bulgaria