Meeting with European Parliament President Roberta Metsola in Strasbourg on Monday, Bulgarian Parliament Chair Vezhdi Rashidov called against decoupling Bulgaria from Romania and Croatia on their way to joining Schengen. "Bulgaria has fulfilled all its commitments and requirements for membership of the Schengen area. Our country doesn’t deserve to be sidelined any longer and it is time it became a member of Schengen," said Rashidov during the meeting, quoted by the Parliament’s press office.
Rashidov expressed gratitude for the latest resolution in which MEPs once again urged that Bulgaria, Romania and Croatia be no longer blocked and be admitted in the Schengen area. He recalled that the country protects reliably the Bulgarian border, which is an external border for the EU and which has been acknowledged by the European Commission.
During the meeting Bulgarian Parliament Chair Rashidov recalled that under the Bulgarian EU Presidency the topic of the European integration of the Western Balkans had been put back on the European agenda. He said that Bulgaria had done everything so that North Macedonia can begin negotiations on its EU accession and said that it is time North Macedonia fulfilled its commitments, related to the common EU future of the two countries.
At the end of the meeting Rashidov said that Bulgaria was among the first countries to condemn the Russian aggression in Ukraine. He told EP President Metsola that only a week ago Bulgaria’s Parliament adopted a resolution to provide military aid to Ukraine and boost Bulgaria’ defence capabilities. In addition, Bulgaria takes care of many Ukrainian refugees, he added.
On Tuesday Rashidov will take part in a ceremony marking the 70th anniversary of the European Parliament.
/PP/
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