Ambassador: Bulgarian Chairmanship in EU Council will put all efforts to increase unity of European Union

ArmInfo. Bulgarian Ambassador to Armenia Maria Pavlova Tzotzorkova-Kaymaktchieva represented priorities of Sofia's chairmanship in the Council of the European Union (EU).

The Ambassador recalled that, 10 years after joining the EU, Bulgaria took the chairmanship of the Council of the EU for the first time for a 6-month period. Pavlova assured that Bulgaria would continue the course taken by the previous chairman of the EU Council - Estonia, to remove borders. The diplomat noted that Bulgaria would continue its efforts to reach a consensus. "The key to the success of the chairmanship is the achievement of a general consensus, it is no coincidence that our chairmanship is held under the motto" Unity Gives Strength, "which is also depicted on the arms of the Republic of Bulgaria.The Bulgarian Chairmanship, together with its partners, will try to strengthen the unity between the Member States and the EU institutions, the goal of providing concrete solutions for creating a stronger, safer and more united Europe, I believe that no one needs to be reminded of what led to a departure from this principle, "the ambassador said, a conference in Yerevan. And in this context, she added that Bulgaria would spare no effort to enhance the unity of the European Union.

According to her, the priorities of the Bulgarian Chairmanship will be based on the principle of the "Three C" principle - stability, security and durability, which are mutually complementary principles. The ambassador also added that the leading principles of the Bulgarian chairmanship will be the responsibility to achieve the overall goals and priorities of the union, by tying the working program of the chairmanship to the EU agenda, respecting the integrity and unity of the union by seeking common solutions and responding to challenges. "Over the next six months, the chairmanship will focus on four key areas: the future of Europe and the youth, the Western Balkans, security and stability, and the digital economy," Pavlova said. At the same time, she stressed that the presence of the Bulgarian Embassy in Armenia opens wide opportunities in terms of increasing awareness of Sofia's chairmanship in the Council and promoting the strengthening of Armenia-EU cooperation envisaged by the new framework agreement on a comprehensive and expanded partnership signed in Brussels on November 24, 2017.

"In the Armenian society, the signing of the framework agreement between Armenia and the EU was positively assessed, and now broad discussions are held at various levels on this issue, and we will contribute to the fulfillment of the priorities envisaged by Armenia-EU cooperation within the framework of the presidency of the EU Council," concluded Pavlova. On January 1, Bulgaria took over the presidency of the Council of the EU for a six-month term. The presidency of the EU Council is replaced every six months from among the member states of the EU. Within six months, one country presides over meetings of the Council of all levels, ensuring the consistency of the EU's work in the Council. The Chairmanship is responsible for advancing the work of the Council on EU legislation, ensuring continuity in the implementation of the EU agenda, compliance with the current legislative process, and cooperation between EU member states. To do this, the presiding country should act as an honest and neutral broker.