Tsipras: Greece, Bulgaria and Serbia 'Factors of Stability' in the Balkans
The European Commission supports efforts for the European prospects of the Balkans, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said on Thursday in a joint press conference with Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, following meetings held in Thessaloniki.
"We fully support Serbia's European course," Tsipras said, while noting that Greece, Bulgaria and Serbia can play an important role as factors promoting stability in the region.
The Greek premier reported agreement of views on the need for stabilisation in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), saying that they had concurred on the necessity for substantive dialogue to find a mutually acceptable solution of the name dispute with Greece, which was a condition for FYROM's accession progress.
In terms of infrastructure projects of joint interest, Tsipras listed the idea of a navigable link via rivers from Thessaloniki to Belgrade and a rail link from Thessaloniki to the Danube to rapidly move goods and people to central and northern Europe, as well as the Greece-Bulgaria Interconnector (IGB) and its extension to Serbia.
ANA-MPA