Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev said Thursday that the country's cabinet has agreed to recognize the independence of Kosovo.
At a joint press conference with the Bulgarian foreign minister, Stanishev said the cabinet agreed on establishing diplomatic relations with Kosovo and will open its embassy in Kosovo.
With the official announcement, Bulgaria becomes the 18th European Union member state to recognize an independent Kosovo.
A day earlier, Bulgaria, Hungary and Croatia adopted a joint declaration to recognize Kosovo's sovereignty.
The document said that Bulgaria, Croatia and Hungary will continue to support the enlargement of EU and NATO and pay close attention to the construction of democracy in Kosovo.
The three countries also expressed their hopes that Kosovo adheres to its promise of building a multi-ethnic country, based on democratic principles, the rule of law and rights for Serbian community's members there.
The three countries also declared their commitment to strengthening ties with Serbia.
Kosovo, a former and Albanian-dominated Serbian province, unilaterally declared independence on Feb. 17 after rounds of negotiations between concerned parties failed to produce a final decision on the status of Kosovo, triggering strong opposition from Serbia.
Source:Xinhua
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