The arrest of Bosnian Serb war criminal Ratko Mladic is "very good news" for Serbia and the entire region, Bulgarian Foreign Minister Nikolay Mladenov has stated.

In a special statement, Mladenov pointed out that Mladic's successful detention after he had been wanted for 16 years gives an opportunity for justice and redemption for the relatives of the victims of war crimes during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the mid 1990s.

"Bringing Ratko Mladic to a trial before the International Tribunal is a proof that crimes against humanity do not go unpunished. The efforts of the Serbian leaders yielded results, and Serbia's full cooperation with the International Tribunal on former Yugoslavia must not be questioned," Mladenov said.

The Bulgarian Foreign Minister further encourages Serbia to keep pushing with its reforms in order to receive the status of an EU candidate and start accession negotiations as soon as possible.

"Bulgaria is ready to help in this process in the name of the European future of the Serbian people and the entire region," Mladenov said.

The arrest of Ratko Mladic for war crimes in Bosnia has been a key prerequisite for Serbia's EU aspirations.

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