With the effects of the war in Ukraine, the way of Europe’s independence from Russian gas but also the course of the accession of the countries of the Western Balkans to the EU. The Prime Ministers of Bulgaria, Northern Macedonia and Montenegro, as well as the President of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, who participated in the 7th Delphi Economic Forum, which takes place in Delphi on April 6-9 under the auspices of the SA. of the President of the Republic, Mrs. Katerina Sakellaropoulou.
Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov has called for a reduction in Europe’s energy dependence on Russia as soon as possible. “Not in two years. There must be differentiation by June this year,” he said, referring to his country, which will largely succeed by the summer.
In fact, he described corruption as Russia’s most powerful weapon to infiltrate European countries, citing Bulgaria as an example and the fact that, as he said, the previous government had chosen to proceed with the Turkish stream costing 1.5 billion. for his country, at a time when there was the solution of a much cheaper pipeline, which will finally be ready by the beginning of the summer.
The Prime Minister of Bulgaria called for the cooperation of European countries, as, as he stated, corruption cannot be fought individually. That is why he proposed the creation of mechanisms to enhance transparency at European level to put a brake on foreign intrusion.
Kiril Petkov, speaking to Mega journalist Giannis Pretenteris, described the war in Ukraine as a clash between the authoritarianism of the old notion of how the world works and democracy, while, in addition to economic measures against Russia, which called for asymmetric measures that will not affect the European economy. “We should not be weak with this kind of behavior, you can not be soft after what we saw in Boutsa. We must be strong and united, to adopt a common position,” he said.
Finally, the alarm bell rang for possible instability in the Western Balkans, if the accession process of the countries in the region does not proceed as soon as possible, in case Russia takes advantage of it.
For his part, the Prime Minister of Northern Macedonia described the Prespa agreement as a key decision for NATO to join the country and open the negotiation process with the EU. “It took courageous politicians to make one of the most difficult decisions for to be here today and discuss economic cooperation, “said Dimitar Kovačevski.
Asked by the journalist of the newspaper “Ta Nea”, Michalis Mitsos about the three memoranda that have not yet been voted by the Greek Parliament, he noted that they are not so important and that they do not have the weight to destroy the good relations between the two countries.
During his statement, he strongly criticized the EU. for delays in their country’s accession talks. “We made one of the biggest decisions, but the EU did not do the right thing. Now is the time. It is not a matter of enlargement but of geostrategic importance in the light of what is happening in Ukraine. Any process that takes almost 18 years, if not completed. “It also creates a sense of frustration. The polls show that the prospect of membership is being supported by most citizens, but until that happens, this flow of support will logically begin to wane,” he said. Finally, he characterized the Western Balkans as a place of influence of Russia and China with an economic presence in the region.
Montenegro’s accession perspective to the EU nominated by the country’s prime minister. “We want to be the next first member of the EU,” said Zdravko Krivokapić. He said that by December everything was done, a program for the dignity of life was adopted, the minimum wage was increased from 222 euros to 450, while a development budget was voted for the first time with investments of 30% in the agricultural sector.
When asked by ERT and Parapolitika journalist Costa Papachlimitzo about his country’s dependence on Russian tourists, he admitted that a quarter of Montenegro’s revenue comes from Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, which is why Alternative markets are being sought, such as Israel, Poland, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic, and he noted that efforts are being made to reduce any influence in his country from Russia and China.
The chairman of the Council of Ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina opposed the sanctions in Russia. “Sanctions have never stopped a war. War always ends through negotiations. Sanctions affect the whole of Europe and Bosnia and Herzegovina itself,” said Zoran Tegeltija, urging Europe to give more weight to the negotiations because otherwise he warned that the economic situation will worsen for the whole world and there will be impoverishment of the population.
Asked by Corriere de la Serra journalist Federico Fubini about Russian influence in his country, he replied that this could not be proven. “In the two and a half years that I have been in this position, there has been no demand from the Russian side,” said Mr Tegeltija.
Source: Capital
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