NEWS

Rumen Radev: the Friendship and Trust between Bulgaria and Malta is the Basis to Ensure More Active Ties between the Businesses in the Two Countries

When two countries enjoy active friendly relations on the political level, this promotes the efficient cooperation in all other spheres. The contacts between the businesses in Bulgaria and Malta will help realize the enormous unused potential for strengthening the bi-lateral ties in economy, tourism and research. This is what Head of State Rumen Radev said, who together with the President of Malta Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca took part in the closing ceremony of the business forum, in which 150 representatives of Bulgarian and over 50 Maltese companies and institutions took part.

The event is part of the program of the President of Malta, who is on a two-day visit in Bulgaria at the invitation of Rumen Radev. President Preca’s official delegation also includes Malta’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Carmelo Abela, the Minister for the Economy, Investments and Small Businesses Chris Cardona, the Minister of Family, Children’s Rights and Social Solidarity Michael Falzon.

“Bulgaria is an attractive destination for investments because there is political, macroeconomic and financial stability in the country. I would be very happy if the Maltese business has a better presence in Bulgaria,” Rumen Radev told representatives of the private sector. “The countries which are connected by both interests and values, have a future in their bilateral relations,” the President further said and identified the multitude of factors that connect Bulgaria and Malta – the two countries have common stances on the EU, and their peoples face the same challenges.

Malta is Europe’s gateway to North Africa, and Bulgaria – to the Middle East. Our peoples have thousand-year-old histories and rich cultures,” Rumen Radev said and noted that both Bulgaria and Malta are aspiring towards peace, stability, understanding and progress. The Head of State voiced gratitude to Malta’s president for the country’s hospitality to the 7,000 Bulgarian nationals who successfully integrate in the Maltese society and contribute to the development of the country’s economy.     

At the forum the sustainable economic growth rate in both Bulgaria and Malta was highlighted, which conditions the possible increase in trade and economic cooperation in the future, as well as the formulation of a common stance within the EU. “We have both a high economic growth rate and a strong voice in the EU calling for more security, solidarity and for more justice in the union,” the Bulgarian Head of State said.

Malta’s President identified the two countries as strategic geographic points which are bridges connecting cultures and continents. “This key geopolitical location provides an additional opportunity to stimulate the economic contacts and new potential partnerships in a lot of sectors. Our markets will grow and jointly become stronger in the interest of our peoples,” Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca said.  In the words of Malta’s President, education and research, professional qualification, innovations and tourism should be key sectors for exchanging personnel and experts which will not only bring more investments, but will also bring the people of Bulgaria and Malta more closely together.

In the presence of the two presidents at the business forum, which was held in the National Arts Gallery in Sofia, memorandums for cooperation between the Executive Agency for Promoting SMEs and Trade Malta, between the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Maltese Trade Chamber, between the Chamber of Commerce of Burgas and the Chamber of Commerce of Gozo were signed. An agreement was also signed between the University for National and World Economy (UNWE) and the Mediterranean Academy of Diplomatic Studies.