Prime Minister Zoran Zaev arrived Tuesday morning in Sofia to attend the Berlin Process 2020 Summit.

“We arrived in Sofia to attend the Summit for the Western Balkans within the Berlin Process, which is co-chaired by the Republic of Bulgaria and the Republic of North Macedonia, and we will host the summit together with Prime Minister Borisov,” Zaev wrote in a Facebook post upon his arrival in Sofia.

“We are opening a new chapter in the development of the region and in achieving the standards that will bring Western Balkan countries closer to EU membership. Today we will have the opportunity to discuss the key strategic plan for our region, the vision for the Common Regional Market and the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans. In this regard, we also express our gratitude to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who launched the Berlin Process, and Federal Republic of Germany, which strongly support the EU perspective for the Western Balkans and regional cooperation,” Zaev wrote on Facebook.

PM Zaev was welcomed by Bulgarian PM Boyko Borisov in front of the Boyana Residence Hotel in Sofia, after which the two delegations will hold a bilateral meeting.

Zaev is accompanied by Deputy PM for Economic Affairs Fatmir Bytyqi, Deputy PM for European Affairs Nikola Dimitrov and FM Bujar Osmani. In addition to Borisov, the Bulgarian delegation also includes Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Krasimir Karakachanov.

Due to the fragility of the situation, attributed to the Covid-19 pandemic, the meeting will be held on-line, hosted by Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Boyko Borisov and North Macedonia’s PM Zoran Zaev.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, a representative of the European Commission, Majlinda Bregu, Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) and Emir Djikic, Director of CEFTA Secretariat are to address the event.

European Union’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, Olivér Várhelyi are to take part remotely in summit’s plenary session.