The meeting of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis with his Bulgarian counterpart Kirill Petkov was completed. In the joint statements of the two leaders, Mr. Mitsotakis congratulated Mr. Petkov on his election victory.
“I have found common ground in many. “Athens and Sofia are launching a new promising stage of co-operation,” the prime minister said, noting that both countries respect European values and international law.
Referring to the Greek-Bulgarian pipeline IGB, he said that it is a common bet to be completed as soon as possible and answering a relevant question, he stated that the delays are due to the pandemic. “I promised that we would reach an exact schedule. It is a matter of months “, he added while both leaders noted that the two countries have common needs for energy and it is positive that the consumption of electricity is increased in Greece in summer and in Bulgaria in winter.
Regarding the pandemic, Kyriakos Mitsotakis said he was happy that the new Prime Minister of Bulgaria attaches great importance to the acceleration of vaccinations and made Greece available to him, “if there is a way to help”, as he characteristically noted.
He also stated that the course of the Western Balkans towards Europe is in the interest of all of us and that is why Greece supports it “without forgetting that these countries must meet the criteria with good neighborly relations first”.
He also said that the challenges are common for the refugees, while he also spoke about the 5th Supreme Cooperation Council of Greece – Bulgaria.
Asked about the attitude of the two countries and Europe towards Turkey, Kyriakos Mitsotakis said that the European Council has set the framework for Euro-Turkish relations and the neighboring country has two options.
One – he said – is the gradual normalization of Turkey’s relations with neighboring countries, the de-escalation of tension, the cessation of provocative actions “including the unthinkable casus belli”.
In this case – the Prime Minister continued – we will be the first in favor of the full harmonization of Euro-Turkish relations because we will be the first to benefit.
He also said that the external borders of Greece and Bulgaria are also borders of Europe and that both countries protect them effectively with respect for human rights.
On this, they both noted that there is room for further cooperation.
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