Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl of the far-right Freedom Party (FP) and her Bulgarian counterpart Ekaterina Zakharieva said during a meeting yesterday in Sofia that their countries favor EU integration of the Western Balkan countries.
Regarding the issue of Turkey's EU accession talks, Zakharieva said that there were some discrepancies between Bulgaria and Austria, but their directions were similar.
"Turkey has been an important partner in the fight against terrorism and in the refugee crisis," said Zakharieva.
"As a result of the EU agreement with Turkey, the number of refugees coming to Bulgaria has decreased to 84 percent. It is also important for the dialogue to remain open. To join the EU, Turkey must comply with all legal rules," she added.