Bulgaria’s President Radev: Security environment is not improving

Making the sustainable development goals one of the priorities of this session of the UN General Assembly is timely, Bulgaria’s President Rumen Radev said in his speech at a political forum at the highest level during the 74th session of the UN General Assembly. The European future of the Western Balkans was the main focus of a quadripartite meeting of foreign ministers from Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania and Greece, attended by Bulgaria’s Deputy Prime Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva.

The 17 key Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 are clearly the focus that this year's United Nations session pays particular attention to. Each participant and guest of the organization can read them on the slabs in front of the entrance to the building, on special panels on the alleys and in many other places on the territory of the organization.

In his speech on the topic, the Bulgarian Head of State emphasized that efforts to achieve change by 2030 and the measures taken for social development are justifiably targeted in areas such as economic development, social cohesion and combatting climate change. In his words, however, undermining the rules of international law leads to instability.

Rumen Radev, President: The annual increase in defence spending is indicative of the fact that the security environment is not improving and, at the same time, mistrust is increasing. Sustainable development can only be achieved by having a more effective global security mechanism that promotes dialogue and multilateral diplomacy, which have recently been under intense pressure.

Sustainable development is not possible without social cohesion, stressed the Head of State, and poverty, social inequalities and insecurity make people refugees or migrants, while fueling tensions and xenophobia in host countries.

Rumen Radev, President: Last but not least, we have to learn how to read the specific cultural codes of "others", which would lead to a much better understanding of the socio-political processes and the motivation of societies. This is a prerequisite for development of a culture of peaceful coexistence.

In a four-party foreign ministers format from Bulgaria, Greece, Romania and Croatia, set up initially for joint action against migrant flows, the first diplomats of the four countries have now emphasized the importance of a European perspective for all Western Balkan countries and the beginning of negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia no later than October.

Ekaterina Zaharieva, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs: We believe that at any cost negotiations should be launched in the two countries, we are even preparing a declaration on behalf of the four ministers. Bulgaria believes, I believe that the separation of the two countries would be a mistake, and I believe that Albania should start negotiations this year in October.

The four ministers also discussed the need for urgent measures to resume the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, the lack of which at the moment, they say, is stopping the European perspective of all countries in the region.

The official speech of the Bulgarian Head of State from the rostrum of the UN General Assembly will be tomorrow around 6 pm Bulgarian time.