Foreign Ministers: Bulgaria, Germany Enjoy 'Perfect' Relations

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle (left) was welcomed by his Bulgarian counterpart Nikolay Mladenov (right) in Sofia Thursday. Photo by EPA/BGNES

Bulgaria’s Foreign Minister Nikolay Mladenov has welcomed his German counterpart Guido Westerwelle, who is on his first official visit to Sofia.

“The relations between Bulgaria and Germany are perfect not just in terms of diplomacy but in all spheres. It is not an accident that the Chancellor of the Federal Republic will be arriving to Sofia very soon on a state visit,” Bulgaria’s Foreign Minister Nikolay Mladenov stated during his joint news conference with Westerwelle.

He revealed that the upcoming Bulgarian accession to the Shenghen Agreement was a key point in the conversation with his German counterpart and thanks Germany for supporting Bulgaria in its efforts to tackle corruption and organized crime.

“Our government has committed to coping with corruption and organized crime, and we are doing this for ourselves, not to the benefit of Berlin or Brussels. But we explicitly thank Germany for its support,” Mladenov declared.

He explained that the situation in the Western Balkans and Bulgaria’s “exclusive commitment” to their EU integration was also discussed with Westerwelle.

“We value highly Bulgaria’s commitment to the EU integration of the Western Balkan countries. This is also a commitment to stability in Europe,” the German top diplomat said in turn while also reiterating the German support for Bulgaria’s Shenghen Area accession.

“We have not discussed this issue in Germany but we are in favor of transparency, and I believe that it will come up tomorrow in our conversation with Prime Minister Boyko Borisov,” Westerwelle replied when asked if Borisov’s recent criticism of the German investors in Bulgaria had been discussed in Germany.

“Bulgaria praises highly Germany’s “Hercules’s efforts” to help Europe overcome the economic crisis and to consolidate the budget management of the EU member states. Bulgaria believes in the euro and thinks it is the currency of the future, not of the past,” Mladenov replied when asked by German journalists if Bulgaria’s aspirations to join the euro zone were firm.

The Bulgarian and German foreign ministers also commented that US President Obama’s decision to replace Gen. Stanley McChrystal as the head of the international forces in Afghanistan with Gen. David Petraeus was a matter of US politics but pointed out that their countries work well with both US commanders.

Germany’s Foreign Minister Guido Westerwell is meeting Bulgarian PM Boyko Borisov on Friday.

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