site.btaAgriculture Minister Ivanov: Western Balkan Countries Remain Key Strategic Partners of Bulgaria 

The countries in the Western Balkans remain key strategic partners of Bulgaria, said Agriculture Minister Ivan Ivanov during the ministerial meeting within the Berlin Process and the Germany-Western Balkans Agricultural Policy Dialogue, held in Berlin, Ivanov’s Ministry reported on Tuesday. 

Ivanov added that the Bulgarian Government supports and encourages all initiatives that are in the interest of deepening and enhancing cooperation in the field of agriculture. 

The ministerial meeting is held under the joint chairmanship of Germany's Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture and the Regional Rural Development Standing Working Group in South Eastern Europe (SWG RRD), in which Bulgaria's Agriculture Ministry has an observer status.

The participating ministers and heads of delegation discussed a number of current topics for Europe and the region, such as the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine and their impact on agriculture. 

The Declaration on the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans, signed in Sofia in 2020, was also discussed. The Declaration focuses on green policies, environmental protection, mitigating climate change consequences, improving the competitiveness and incomes of farmers, among others. 

The Berlin Process is an initiative of several EU Member States, under German leadership, to engage with the six Western Balkan partners and promote regional cooperation and the European perspective of the region. It consists of annual summits and a series of ministerial meetings

The Bulgarian Agriculture Minister attended the meeting at the invitation of his German counterpart Cem Ozdemir. Among the participants were ministers from Albania, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Republika Srbska, Montenegro and Moldova, as well as state secretaries from Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.