Bulgaria FM: Balkans Need to Attract EU Attention

Western Balkan countries must produce good news to attract the EU, whose attention is concentrated on the financial crisis, said Bulgarian foreign minister Nikolay Mladenov.

Saturday Mladenov participates in a conference entitled "South East Europe and the Multi-Polar Era" in Pristina, Kosov.

"The Balkans are not a priority for the EU at present and so theym ust start producing good news. It is hard for the EU to be thinking about foreign policy in times of financial crisis," said the Bulgarian Minister of Foreign Affairs.

According to Mladenov, the two possible setbacks to the integration of the Western Balkans are the relations between member states and Kosovo, as well as enlargement fatigue in the Balkans themselves.

"The youth in the Western Balkans are increasingly less enthusiastic about EU-membership, nationalism and xenophobia have worryingly grown," commented Mladenov.

At the same time, he reiterated Bulgaria's position that it eagerly supports the membership of both Serbia and Kosovo in the Union.

Saturday afternoon Mladenov, together with Slovenian counterpart Samuel Zbogar met their Kosovar colleague Enver Hoxhaj.

"I am happy to be in Pristina at a conference on global issues, not on the status of Kosovo," said the Bulgarian foreign affairs minister during the meeting.

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