The talks between Bulgaria and Serbia on a visa free travel agreement for the people in the 30 km border area are at an advanced phase.

Now the people in this area receive long-term free visas, but they need to go for them to Nis and Belgrade. The agreement will facilitate the travel of the local population and will have a political importance - to show Brussels how two neighboring countries solve these problems. This helps the Serbian efforts to relax the visa regime, Bulgarian Ambassador to Serbia Georgi Dimitrov told BTA.

The matter of new border crossings is related to the visa-free travel of the people in the border areas - they need to have places to cross the border, the Ambassador said. There is an agreement to open two new crossings: at Salash-Novo Korito and at Trun-Zvonce. Work on the former facility is at an advanced stage, the road there is being repaired and infrastructure is being created. This is a small facility intended for the local population, it does not need expensive software, nor does it have to be open round the clock. Therefore, it does not require much expenses, but work is delayed.

According to Dimitrov, the Bulgarian minority in Serbia should be regarded as an inalienable part of the overall relations between the two countries. "Undoubtedly, these relations made considerable progress over the last few years. Therefore the Bulgarian minority should be viewed rather through a European aspect - how these issues are solved in Europe, where there also are minorities. There are European norms, there are rules, agreements on the rights of minorities. We should work in this framework and it is there that the expression of the Bulgarian identity should be sought," he said.

Source: BTA