Since Montenegro's declaration of independence, Bulgaria has been a constant supporter of the European perspective of this friendly country, and this obliges us to intensify our bilateral relations towards the development of our economic ties, but they are predicated on better connectivity, Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov said today in the Montenegrin capital Podgorica after signing bilateral documents between the two countries, BTA reports.
The Bulgarian Prime Minister is on a two-day visit to Montenegro starting today.
Prime Minister Zhelyazkov wished Montenegro to become the 28th member of the EU and to worthily replace the United Kingdom with its contribution to the Union.
Montenegro received the status of a candidate country for EU membership in 2010, and the negotiations for accession began in 2012.
For us, the most joyful fact is that there seems to be no other country with which Bulgaria has such friendly relations and does not have a single unresolved bilateral issue, he added.
Within the formats in which we participate as NATO allies, as a country that we hope to complete the negotiation processes by the end of 2026 for EU membership, we are looking in the same direction both in geopolitical, European and regional aspects. Montenegro covers all the requirements of the negotiation chapters and confidently moves in the direction of its own merits, he added. We have always supported countries in the enlargement process that show that the principle of own merits is a working principle - much more working for the development of society than political solutions. Montenegro is an example in this regard and we will be happy for it to be part of the EU as soon as possible, because we profess the same values, we have the same understanding of the challenges and their solutions, added Prime Minister Zhelyazkov.