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The Head of State: Regional Security and Connectivity System Is the Future of the South East European Cooperation Process

President Iliana Iotova hosts the Format Summit, established 30 years ago in Sofia

The South-Eastern Partnership process has a future. It is up to us to ensure that it has a larger and more visible practical dimension. The process of cooperation in South?astern Europe must continue with the construction of a regional system of security and energy, transport and digital connectivity. With these words, President Iliana Iotova opened in Sofia the Summit of the format, which unites 13 countries – Albania, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece, Kosovo, Moldova, Romania, the Republic of North Macedonia, Slovenia, Serbia, Turkey, Croatia , Montenegro.

The theme of our meeting is 'Strengthening regional unity for a stable, secure and sustainable future"' is not only a key message, but reflects the essence of our common political project. It is the call that the region must make to its citizens, to Europe and to the world - unity is our strategic resource, our security tool and our path to sustainable development, the head of state said.

She recalled the beginning of the SEECP 30 years ago, when the Sofia Declaration of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs was adopted. The countries of the region laid the foundations of a new political project as a new model for Europe, a model that showed how Southeast Europe can be led out of post-conflict uncertainty towards sustainable cooperation, said Iotova. She pointed out that in 2008, Bulgaria prepared and developed the entire new architecture for regional cooperation and the transition to regional strategic autonomy.

The SEECP has become a key platform for regional cooperation, a stable bridge to European integration, a political stabiliser and a driver of change in a time of profound transformation for the region, the President said. The reform that Bulgaria initiated was a new moment for its time – a paradigm shift from externally managed processes to regional responsibility and leadership with an emphasis on the Western Balkans, Iotova emphasised. Thanks to the SEECP, there is great interest in the Western Balkans and their European perspective today.

The head of state recalled that Bulgaria has placed the Western Balkans in the focus of its first presidency of the Council of the European Union. Bulgaria's position has always been that the countries of the Western Balkans should be part of the European family, but with fulfilled criteria, achieved results, responsibility and respect for the values of the EU, the main of which is the protection of human rights. The European Union is not only a shared market, but also shared values, Iotova specified.

The President stated that Southeast Europe is a guarantee for the stability and prosperity of the European continent. Global conflicts and crises have shown our enormous role. We have long ceased to be a periphery and we must have the self-confidence that we are geographically, economically and resource-wise important, Iotova opined. According to the President, Southeastern Europe must build its regional architecture – connectivity, economic cooperation, overcoming threats of all kinds. The President expressed her conviction that the region has a unique potential to be a bridge between various economic, energy and transport corridors. Our region can become a key factor for Europe’s energy diversification, for the development of connectivity along the North-South and East-West axes, as well as for strengthening European resilience against crises, hybrid threats and geo-economic dependencies, she stated.

In her address, the head of state highlighted the important projects for the region that our country is working on. Bulgaria is committed to the accelerated construction of Corridor No. 8, which will connect Bulgaria, North Macedonia and Albania, that is, the Mediterranean Sea with the Black Sea, she said, pointing out that this is a project with enormous economic value, but also of exceptional importance for the security of not only the region, but also of all of Europe. According to Iotova, the Black Sea is establishing itself as one of the most important points on the global security map, and the war in Ukraine has shown that this region cannot be considered peripheral to European security. Bulgaria has high expectations for the development of the Danube axis - we urgently need another bridge on the Danube between Bulgaria and Romania, as well as the Silistra - Calarasi connection, the president said.

In relation to energy security, Iotova highlighted the key role of the gas interconnector with Greece and the construction of gas interconnectors and liquefied gas terminals in this part of Europe. She also singled out the enormous importance of the Vertical Gas Corridor. The Bulgarian part of the project is almost ready. An emphasis in our work should also be the construction of the Green Energy Corridor, which will connect Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkey and Bulgaria, and from there to the other countries in the region," the president pointed out.

The head of state also highlighted Bulgaria's efforts in the field of digital transformation and connectivity, citing as examples the Institute of Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence and Technologies at Sofia University "INSAIT", the artificial intelligence factory BRAIN++. According to her, our country can share a lot of its experience in this area with its partners.

The strategic security of the 21st century will depend not only on defence capabilities, but also on the ability of societies to be resilient, economies to be competitive, institutions to be stable, regions to be connected and predictable, and not least, to give a significant place to dialogue and diplomacy, said Iliana Iotova. Therefore, 30 years after its creation, the SEECP must have a new common goal – to be an example of a new model of European security – a model in which regional cooperation, energy connectivity, transport corridors, digital transformation, protection of critical infrastructure and investments in human capital are no less important than the military dimensions of security.

According to the president, Southeastern Europe can be a model for the rest of Europe as the first established strategic autonomy. Iotova expounded to her colleagues several ideas for the development of the countries in the next decade.

We need to further develop Southeast Europe as a zone of strategic connectivity through accelerated development of transport, energy and digital corridors, while insisting on a specific program for the rapprochement of our countries from the EU. We need to strengthen regional coordination in the field of cybersecurity, the protection of critical infrastructure and the response to crises and natural disasters, the president pointed out.

She emphasised the need to develop regional programs for young people, scientific exchange, innovation and technological cooperation. It is high time we exited our donor function. Thousands of young people, well educated in our universities, with talent, are leaving our countries because they are going to places where there is accelerated development, Iotova added.

The head of state called on the countries of Southeastern Europe to jointly advocate for these initiatives to be enshrined as specific policies and projects in the EU's Multiannual Financial Framework for 2028-2034.

Our common responsibility is for Southeast Europe to be recognised as a key factor for peace, stability, connectivity and development in the new European architecture, Iotova insisted.

The high-level forum in Sofia is the final stage of the Bulgarian chairmanship of the SEECP, which our country took over from Albania last year. At the summit, Bulgaria will hand over the chairmanship for next year to Romania.