Head of State Rumen Radev meets with Croatian Foreign and European Affairs Minister Gordan Grlic Radman

As EU and NATO member states, Bulgaria and Croatia share a common responsibility for strengthening security and stability in the Balkans. President Rumen Radev and Croatian Foreign and European Affairs Minister Gordan Grlic Radman agreed on this position at a meeting today in Sofia.

The two expressed satisfaction with the friendly bilateral relations, based on close historical and cultural ties formed centuries ago. Over the past three years, trade between the two countries has doubled and there is potential for fostering the economic partnership in areas of mutual interest, President Radev said. The opening of a direct air route between Sofia and Zagreb would contribute to strengthening contacts between the citizens and businesses of the two countries, it was noted during the meeting.

Radev and Grlic Radman highlighted the good partnership of Bulgaria and Croatia both within the EU and NATO, as well as within the Three Seas Initiative, and the common goal for both countries is full membership in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).  Grlic Radman expressed Croatia's support for Bulgaria's accession to Schengen, which would contribute to the fight against illegal migration in South-Eastern Europe.

President Radev and Minister Gordan Grlic Radman also reaffirmed their support for the European integration of the Western Balkans.