Brussels/Sofia, May 10 (BTA) - Adressing a Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels on Monday, outgoing Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva said that EU accession negotiations alone are not enough to strengthen the geopolitical orientation of the Western Balkans. The countries of the region need to comply with EU criteria and effectively implement the necessary reforms, including ending funded disinformation campaigns against Member States, she added.

"I agree that we should hold discussions on the Western Balkans more often," the Bulgarian top diplomat added. "Unfortunately, our discussions four years ago, when Bulgaria held the EU Council Presidency and insisted on increased engagement with countries in the region, went in a similar way to the current ones. Back then our neighbours again blamed other countries when trying to justify the insufficient implementation of reforms. The lack of full commitment by the Western Balkan countries to EU decisions and positions in the field of foreign and security policy is also worrying".

Zaharieva pointed out that Bulgaria is among the most active and consistent supporters of the enlargement process with the countries of the Western Balkans and will continue to be so. "We are convinced that the accession of these countries will increase the strategic autonomy of the EU, but only if they respect the fundamental values of the Union," she added.

The talks also focused on transatlantic relations in the context of the EU-US summit scheduled for June 15, 2021. The foreign ministers discussed prospects for co-operation with the United States in areas of mutual interest, such as tackling the effects of COVID-19, climate change, trade, security and defence.

An informal videoconference was also held during the meeting with US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry with whom the ministers discussed future joint actions in the field of climate diplomacy.

The Member States expressed solidarity with Bulgaria and Czechia in regards to the activities of Russian representatives on their territory, which are incompatible with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, and supported the two countries' response.

At the end of the meeting, outgoing Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ekaterina Zaharieva thanked her colleagues for their joint activities over the past four years. NV/DT