Tangible, pragmatic approach and good neighborly atmosphere were prevailing at the talks between the President of the National Assembly, Mihail Mikov, and the Prime Minister of Serbia Ivica Dacic. The two leaders have held talks in Belgrade on 23 July 2013 in the frame of the working visit of the chair of the Bulgarian Parliament in the Republic of Serbia.

Discussed were a broad range of issues in the field of the European integration, the economic and trans-border cooperation between the two countries as well as the state of the legal and contractual base of the relations. The Speaker of the Bulgarian National Assembly praised the progress of Serbia on its path towards European Union membership and underscored that the negotiation process will encourage the reforms in our neighbor on the west, reforms that are of primary importance for the economic development of the country.

The trade exchange between Bulgaria and Serbia at present amounts to 650 million euro and is not at the level of the existing possibilities where many new opportunities could be tapped. Both leaders agreed that the infrastructure connectivity between the two countries is particularly important. They expressed hope that the new branch of the pan-European corridor number 10 will be open in 2015.

They agreed as well that the Memorandum, signed in February 2013, between the two countries, to connect the gas pipeline between the towns of Nis and Dimitrovgrad to Sofia is particularly important.

Emphasized was the need of accelerating the construction of new cross-border check points, especially the one at Salash – Novo Korito, which is becoming particularly important in connection with the recently opened Danube Bridge 2. All these projects and initiatives will be at the top of the agenda of the Joint Commission for Economic Cooperation between the two countries, which is to hold its session in the very near future.

It was mentioned during the talks that the two countries are about to sign a memorandum for police cooperation soon.