A message about the Vertical Corridor and the defense cooperation between Greece and Bulgaria was sent by Kyriakos Mitsotakis, in his statements after meeting with Rumen Radev in Sofia.
“I am in Bulgaria as the first European leader to visit the country after your great electoral victory. I am pleased that there is a government with a comfortable parliamentary majority that can implement reforms for the benefit of Bulgaria and the EU. I congratulate Bulgaria on joining the euro and the Schengen zone,” Kyriakos Mitsotakis said.
The prime minister referred to connectivity investments, the vertical infrastructure corridor, energy interconnection, and the transport capacity of the Vertical Corridor. “We can jointly claim significant European resources,” he emphasized while also discussing the possibility of managing cross-border waters.
The prime minister stressed the importance of strengthening defense cooperation. He noted that we can take more steps for the benefit of both bilateral relations and the NATO alliance.
He noted that “Greece stood by Bulgaria and protected its airspace from potential threats from the East.”
Mitsotakis from Bulgaria: “Let’s take our bilateral cooperation to an even more advanced level”
Regarding the Western Balkans, Mr. Mitsotakis said they belong to Europe, but this process is autonomous and must take into account the willingness of these countries to respect the rules of good neighborliness and fully adapt to the European acquis.
“Let me refer to the next multiannual financial framework. I want to emphasize how important it is to maintain cohesion resources and the primary sector. I agree that the competitiveness fund must be distributed in such a way that it is not at the expense of countries that do not currently have the same competitiveness as other more advanced countries,” Mr. Mitsotakis pointed out.
When asked if there is a common position between the two countries on maintaining cohesion resources and the CAP, and whether they discussed the issue of common European borrowing modeled on the recovery fund, the prime minister said we will have difficult negotiations concerning the multiannual financial framework.
“The EU’s ambitions at this moment exceed the resources the EU is willing to allocate, which is why Greece insists on a more ambitious approach. For defense issues, I have emphasized the need that European defense could be the subject of financing from a new European borrowing instrument as it essentially concerns our collective good. Provided that these instruments are distributed fairly to all countries and serve the defense needs of the entire continent. I mean that our attention cannot be focused only on the east. Greece will insist on continuing this discussion; we have also undertaken the heavy responsibility to prepare for the presidency in the second half of 2027, and we will work to put this issue on the European agenda with greater systematicity,” Kyriakos Mitsotakis emphasized.
The prime minister, answering another question, noted the following: “Let me repeat the importance we attach to the energy interconnections of the two countries. The Vertical Natural Gas Corridor upgrades the geopolitical position of both countries as we become providers for many countries north of Greece and Bulgaria. Connectivity issues are at the core of our cooperation. I envision a land corridor that will include highways, railways and will connect the ports of Greece and reach Ukraine. This requires cooperation from Bulgaria and Romania. We aspire that a trilateral can lead us in this direction. Regarding the ports mentioned by the President, these are private investments; Bulgarian entities’ interest in participation could be expanded, but it is a matter concerning private concessionaires. Let us renew our meeting for the next intergovernmental council with the participation of our ministers.”
Rumen Radev’s thanks to Kyriakos Mitsotakis
For his part, Bulgarian President Rumen Radev emphasized that Athens and Sofia support the European Union’s efforts to strengthen its strategic autonomy. As he said, the two countries agreed to jointly defend their interests in negotiations for creating a new Competitiveness Fund, aiming for balanced distribution of resources among member states.
“We support Europe’s effort to strengthen its strategic autonomy. We agreed to defend our states’ interests so that each country has the opportunity to develop its competitiveness and expand its industrial base,” he stated. The Bulgarian president also highlighted the significant prospects for cooperation in digital infrastructure and data centers.
“Bulgaria and Greece have great prospects for developing data and information centers. In an uncertain world and during a period of escalating tensions, the two countries share common responsibility for the security of our region at a critical time for Europe,” he noted. Finally, Rumen Radev publicly thanked the Greek government for its contribution to strengthening Bulgaria’s air defense.
“I want to thank the Prime Minister of Greece for strengthening Bulgaria’s air defense at a critical moment for the region,” he declared, referring to the increased security challenges facing the broader region.
