BTA :: Bulgaria "Has Always Been among the Strongest Advocates" of EU Membership for Western Balkans

Bulgaria "Has Always Been among the Strongest Advocates" of EU Membership for Western Balkans - President

BTA special correspondent Lyubomir Martinov

President Rumen Radev during Europa Forum Wachau, June 24, 2023 (BTA Photo)

Stift Göttweig, Lower Austria,

24.06.2023 16:03

(BTA)

Bulgaria has always been among the strong supporters of the European integration of the Western Balkans, President Rumen Radev said at Forum Wachau in Austria Saturday. "But, also, in this critical situation we must not make compromises with the Copenhagen criteria for membership, especially human rights," he added.

He went on to say "I am giving just one example: our complicated relations with the Republic of North Macedonia, a country very close to us. We share a common history, traditions and cultural heritage. But what we insist on and what is enshrined in the negotiating framework from last year, is that the people who identify themselves as Bulgarians there be included, along with other peoples, in their Constitution, that their rights be equal and guaranteed, and that discrimination against these people stops".

Europa Forum Wachau has been held since 1995, when Austria joined the European Union. Its aim is to strengthen dialogue with citizens and serve as a platform for discussing common solutions for the future of the Union, with a special focus on the countries of the Danube region. It takes place in the Abbey of Gottweig in the Wachau Valley in Lower Austria, as a symbol of the Christian values around which the European project is built.

/NF/