SOFIA, July 07. /ITAR-TASS/. Bulgaria has not sent any requests to Russia regarding its possible accession to the Eurasian Economic Union, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday, July 7.

He said, however, that Moscow was seeking to create such space in the Euro-Atlantic region where countries would have equal and beneficial possibilities for development.

After talks with his Bulgarian colleague Kristian Vigenin, Lavrov was asked whether Bulgaria had prospects for joining to the Eurasian integration project. “I can’t remember Bulgaria making a quest for accession to the Eurasian project,” Lavrov replied. “But we want favorable conditions to be created in the big Euro-Atlantic area for all states, without exception, regardless of whether they are members of the European Union or the Eurasian Union or not members of any union at all.

 

“Creation of military-political alliance counter-productive”

Russia’s top diplomat has said block confrontation is part of the Cold War policy and counter-productive.

“Today there are no opposing military-political alliances in Europe,” Sergei Lavrov told Bulgaria’s Focus News Agency on Monday.

“The creation of any alliances is counter-productive. The events in Ukraine and around it prove this,” Lavrov said.

“It is evident that joint efforts can help ensure prosperity and well-being on the European continent, strengthen stability and successfully fight trans-border challenges and threats,” he stressed.

“The priorities are to ensure equal and indivisible security, to rely upon international law and to strengthen the United Nations’ central role,” Lavrov said.

“The principles of a state’s sovereignty and the non-interference into internal affairs have priority significance,” he added.

“Russia believes that global and regional problems should be solved through cooperation and compromises,” Lavrov said.

“We think that Russia and the EU will be able to promote an idea of creating a common economic and humanitarian space from the Atlantics to the Pacific Ocean - with the participation of all states concerned. I’m sure that there are all prerequisites in order to carry out this task,” he noted.

“We consider Bulgaria an important partner and we’re building a pragmatic and mutually advantageous dialogue. We believe that relations with Bulgaria should not depend on the political situation,” Lavrov said.

“It is important for us that Bulgaria’s membership has no negative impact on bilateral relations, including on the implementation of mutually advantageous projects,” he added.

Bulgaria expects that Russia will play a major role in the easing of tension in Ukraine, Bulgarian Foreign Minister Kristian Vigenin said after talks with his Russian counterpart.

“We expect that Russia will play a major role in the easing of tension in Ukraine and de-escalation of the crisis in the country,” he said. “We welcome the decision of the Federation Council upper house of Russia's parliament to have the permission to use Russian armed forces in Ukraine revoked from Russia's president. We support the agreements on the settlement in Ukraine, reached by the foreign ministers of Russia, Germany, France and Ukraine,” Bulgarian top diplomat added.