PM Krivokapić attends Meeting of Heads of Government of NATO Member States in Southeast Europe

At the invitation of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria Kiril Petkov, Prime Minister Zdravko Krivokapić is paying a visit to Sofia, where he is leading a delegation participating in the Meeting of Heads of Government of NATO Member States in Southeast Europe. The topics of the meeting of the top officials were the impact of the crisis in Ukraine and its spillover into the Western Balkans causing food and energy crisis, as well as connecting the region through the construction of new strategic transport infrastructure.

In his speech, Prime Minister Krivokapić pointed out that the destruction in Ukraine reminded us of everything we have gone through several times in our history.

Everything that is happening is a crisis of democracy in the whole world, and this crisis affects us the most in terms of basic foodstuffs, said the Prime Minister.

Prime Minister Krivokapić referred to the migrant crisis that has affected Montenegro, as well as Ukraine's neighbouring countries.

Every crisis is an opportunity, and we have great potential for the development of strategic infrastructure projects. The port of Bar can be used to transport liquefied gas, which could be a potential to further connect the region, Prime Minister Krivokapić said.

Prime Minister Krivokapić discussed fake news and propaganda and proposed the creation of a strong, joint center that would deal with the processing and analysis of false information using artificial intelligence.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Petkov described the crisis in Ukraine as unprecedented.

This crisis has created an energy crisis, as well as a food crisis. It is also an opportunity for the countries of the Western Balkans to unite for the good of their people and act in a coordinated manner, Petkov said.

Prime Minister Petkov pointed out that food supply chains have changed and that the region should have a unique and quick response and strategy. He emphasised the importance of the region's infrastructural connectivity, suggesting that Corridor 8 must appear on the EU map. This is a strategic priority of the entire region that connects Montenegro, Albania, North Macedonia and Bulgaria, i.e. it connects the Adriatic and the Black Sea, said Petkov.

He pointed out that Bulgaria expects an excellent harvest and that they already have enough supplies to provide security in the region in the spirit of good neighbourly relations.

In the end, the participants pointed out that connecting the region is creating a new platform for cooperation that will connect the Western Balkans more strongly.

Minister of Agriculture Aleksandar Stijović also attended the meeting. Stijović agreed with the Prime Minister of Bulgaria to continue cooperation in order to provide basic foodstuffs and foreign trade in agricultural products.