The integration of western Balkan states into the European Uunion is of particular importance for the stabilization of the region, the EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said on Thursday.

“It will be a complex process but we can be sure that for the western Balkans the road ends into the EU”, Mogherini said during a visit to Sofia, according to a statement released by the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry.

Mogherini, who attended the opening of the annual conference of Bulgaria's ambassadors with the country's foreign minister, said that EU member sates are sharing common long-term interests such as upholding the rule of law, energy security and sustainable development of the entire European continent.

Common challenges require solidarity approach, she added.

Bulgaria’s Foreign Minister Daniel Mitov said that increased migration pressure on Bulgaria and the EU as a result of attacks by Islamic State group in the Middle East requires an equitable sharing of responsibility among EU member states.

“It’s in the national interest to overcome the consequences of the actions of so-called Islamic State and other terrorist groups,” Mitov said.

Admitting Bulgaria into the EU’s Schengen zone will strengthen the bloc’s external border and will send a strong signal that the EU is united in the fight against terrorism and illegal migration, Mitov said.

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