Athens , 11 January 2009

Mr. Droutsas: I am particularly pleased to welcome my good friend the Deputy Foreign Minister of Bulgaria, Mr. Raykov, to Athens today, on the occasion of the signing of the Agreement on the opening and operation of the Thermes-Zlatograd border crossing in Xanthi.

This is a light-traffic crossing that has been designed exclusively to serve private automobile traffic, and its operation will be inaugurated by the Prime Ministers of the two countries on 15 January.

The opening and operation of the new crossing reflects the desire of the local populations on both sides of the border for unhindered and quick communication with each other.

There are obvious benefits for local tourism and the region’s economic development in general. But above all, the opening of another border crossing point marks the progress that has been made in recent years by Greece and Bulgaria in their cross-border cooperation, as well as our overall excellent cooperation on all levels and in all sectors of state activity, particularly since Bulgaria’s accession to European and Euroatlantic institutions.

During our brief but constructive meeting – we will have the opportunity to continue our discussions during our working luncheon – we had the opportunity to discuss other bilateral cooperation issues, including coordination between the two countries on the management of cross-border rivers, cooperation in the energy sector and Greek-Bulgarian-Romanian trilateral cooperation.

At this point I would like to refer in particular to our country’s energy cooperation with Bulgaria. Greece and Bulgaria have upgraded their cooperation with both the Burgas-Alexandroupoli pipeline and the Komotini-Haskovo natural gas pipeline, making clear the dynamic role they play in the energy market and capitalizing on their strategic position in Southeast Europe in order to promote the EU’s policy on diversification of energy sources and on energy security.

In fact, as Mr. Raykov informed me in our talks, in early March there will be a special meeting between Greek and Bulgarian agencies on the very issue of the two countries’ energy cooperation.

Finally, Mr. Raykov and I reaffirmed our will to support the further incorporation of the countries of the Western Balkans into European and Euroatlantic structures through our “Agenda 2014” – always with respect for good neighbourly relations and the consolidation of security in the region through the resolution of all outstanding problems.

Within this framework, I had the opportunity to brief Mr. Raykov – once again – on Greece’s position on the FYROM name issue: our well known national “red line” for a name with a geographical qualifier, for all uses – erga omnes. I expressed Greece’s, the Greek government’s, will to promote the efforts through the UN negotiations on the resolution of this issue, reiterating the need for the name issue to be resolved, as a precondition for the opening of Skopje’s accession negotiations with the European Union.

Once again, my warm thanks to my friend Mr. Raykov for our cooperation in preparing the signing of the Agreement on the opening and operation of the new border crossing, as well as for our particularly warm and interesting talks.

Once again, my dear friend Marin, welcome to Athens.

Mr. Raykov: First of all I would like to say that after everything my friend Mr. Droutsas said, there remains very little for me to say. Nevertheless, I would like to emphasize certain points.

The opening of border crossings between the two countries was a pending matter for many years; border crossings that would facilitate communication between our two countries. And as a legacy from times past, these issues having to do with the opening of new border crossings somehow continued to be examined or dealt with cautiously.

But our Prime Ministers joined their political wills – both countries are now members of the European Union – and imparted momentum to the progress on these matters, insisting that one of these plans, the opening of border crossings, be separated out from the overall negotiation package so that we could have today’s result.

This, in a sense, is the expression of a European message. We gave a European message to the two countries and the two peoples, and today my friend Dimitris and I carried through the task set us by the Prime Ministers of our countries: we signed this agreement on the opening of the new Zlatograd-Thermes border crossing, and the official opening will take place on 15 January.

Today, we also discussed the issue of the economic crisis in our region and we agreed that greater dynamism in the economic transactions of the countries in the region might bring good results for getting past the crisis.

Seeing how many Bulgarians shop here in Athens, and also being aware of how many Greek tourists visit Pamporovo, I am certain that today’s signing of the agreement on the opening of the new border crossing will boost our economic and tourism transactions.

We are building a new Europe in which the new European citizen will have a special place. That is why the opening of the borders and the creation of this common space are steps ahead and will contribute to free movement and communication and an increase in exchange between the countries of the new Europe.

We naturally discussed matters concerning joint energy plans – an interest we have in common with our Greek friends and allies.

I also referred to the ecological parameters – which are very important to Bulgaria – as concerns the construction of the Burgas-Alexandroupoli pipeline, a plan in which there is great interest in our country, naturally. We also discussed other plans.

We also discussed the prospects for EU enlargement in the region of the Western Balkans, and I, too, stressed the principles that might ensure and be a precondition for enlargement towards the Western Balkans, so that the countries that are to accede can be integrated effectively into the EU, sharing the common European values.

Together with other EU countries, we will discuss various ways to help the countries of the Western Balkans to overcome obstacles, whether they are obstacles to the opening of pre-accession negotiations or obstacles to be overcome during these negotiations, so that they can be effectively integrated into the Union via real and substantial compliance with their obligations.

And I would like to finish by once again expressing my satisfaction at the fact that on 15 January the Prime Ministers of the two countries will do something very special. The inauguration will be a very good moment in communication between the two peoples from the two sides of the border.

And also, once again, I would like to thank my friend Dimitris for the effort he is making to reinvigorate these relations, as well as for his ambitions with regard to regional issues, which should be resolved in a joint effort of all the Balkan countries.

Journalist: Could you explain why, exactly, this border crossing was separated out from the rest of the package. What are the economic benefits you expect, and what are the other plans that remained in the package?

Mr. Raykov: The construction, the implementation, of this particular project – this border crossing – was at a more advanced stage, and also borne in mind was the aspiration of the local authorities to open it. And we hope that its opening will serve as a way to build momentum for the opening of the other border crossings.

I hope this can happen by the end of 2010, particularly in the case of the Kurdzhali-Komotini crossing, on which there has been a signed agreement since 1995. We hope that favourable conditions will be created, and – if it is opened by the end of 2010 – this could be occasion for joint celebration of 130 years of diplomatic relations between Bulgaria and Greece.

As for the other crossing – on which there has been an agreement since 2006 – the Bulgarian side has completed its construction work. Five kilometres remain on the Greek side, so this project will also be able to move ahead soon.

The situation is similar with the Plovdiv-Xanthi crossing, on which the Bulgarian side has completed 80% of the project. And we are continuing to make joint efforts so that we can have joint actions regarding the Paranesti-Gorna Arda crossing.

As I said, the economic results from this accelerated economic development and communication are already tangible. I mentioned Pamporovo, a ski resort in which there is major Greek interest. And I am certain that both tourism development and the dynamic of economic growth in northern Greece – where there are many Bulgarians – will speed up the opening. It will also contribute on the Greek side to strengthening this interest.