NEWS

2018-02-12 14:57:00

Bulgaria and Armenia Will Work to Promote Bilateral Trade and Exchange of Investments and to Ensure the Development of Regional Infrastructure

At a meeting with President Serzh Sargsyan in Yerevan, the Bulgarian Head of State confirmed our country’s support for strengthening the relations between the Republic of Armenia and the EU

Among the highlights in the meeting between President Rumen Radev and his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sargsyan held in Yerevan, were the prospects for promoting bilateral trade between Bulgaria and Armenia in the sphere of economy, investments, technologies, education and tourism. At President Sargsyan’s invitation, President Radev is on a state visit to the Republic of Armenia. The delegation he heads includes Minister of Labor and Social Policy Biser Petkov, Assembly deputies from the Parliamentary friendship group Bulgaria-Armenia in the 44th National Assembly, representatives of employment organizations and the business circles.

The two Heads of State were unanimous that the signed EU - Armenia Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement will also create conditions for the comprehensive development of bilateral relations and called for more pragmatism in the dialogue between the institutions and businesses from Bulgaria and Armenia. Several bilateral documents were signed in the presence of the two Presidents: an Agreement on Reciprocal Protection and Exchange of Classified Information; a Programme for Cooperation in the Field of Culture for 2017-2018, an Agreement on Regulation of Labour Migration; an Agreement on Cooperation in Information Technologies and Communications.

In July 2018 Bulgaria will host the Bulgarian-Armenian business forum, at which concrete projects of mutual interest will be discussed. As a result of the agreements signed today, tomorrow a Memorandum for cooperation between the Association of Industrial Capital in Bulgaria and the Union of Employers in Armenia will be signed in Yerevan. The agreement will facilitate the access of Armenian professionals to the Bulgarian labor market, and also the bilateral exchange of technologies, it transpired at the meeting.

The two Presidents shared the opinion that the development of the regional transport, energy and digital infrastructure, which connects the countries from the Black Sea region and Caucasus, is a necessary condition to achieve growth in trade and tourism. Rumen Radev and Serzh Sargsyan voiced Bulgaria’s and Armenia’s support for the construction of a multimodal transport corridor “Persian Gulf-Black Sea,” which will facilitate the access to new markets for countries from our region. The opportunity to open a direct air line between Sofia and Yerevan was also discussed.

“A priority of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU is the Western Balkans’ European prospects. However, Bulgaria is also strongly committed to the EU’s Eastern Partnership. Not only security, but also the development of the relations with the countries from the Black Sea region and Caucasus, are essential for Bulgaria,” Rumen Radev said.

The Bulgarian Head of State identified the Nagorno Karabakh problem as extremely important not only for Armenia, but also for the whole region. This conflict can be resolved through peace negotiations with the intermediation of the OSCE Minsk Group and its co-chairmanship consisting of Russia, France and the US, with the assistance of the EU and, far more importantly, through active dialogue between the Heads of State of the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan, which should be less based on emotions and more on common sense. This is the common position of the EU,” Rumen Radev was adamant.

The constitutional amendments in Armenia, adopted at a referendum, and the stronger powers of Parliament create new conditions for making the dialogue between the legislative institutions of Bulgaria and Armenia more active, it was highlighted at the meeting between President Rumen Radev and the Bulgarian delegation, on the one hand, and the Speaker of the Armenian Parliament Ara Babloyan, on the other. Ara Babloyan said that the Armenian Assembly deputies will continue to work to reaffirm democracy and parliamentarism in Armenia and they rely on Bulgaria’s support for strengthening the relations between Armenia and the EU.  

During his meetings in Yerevan President Rumen Radev also highlighted the role of the Armenian community in Bulgaria, which is a natural link between the two countries and has an essential contribution to the development of the cultural ties.

The Bulgarian Head of State was welcomed by his counterpart Serzh Sargsyan with an official ceremony held in front of the presidential palace in Yerevan. President Radev laid a wreath and paid tribute to the victims of the forced mass deportation and massacres of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire at the beginning of the 20th century.

Later in the day Rumen Radev will visit 131st Peyo Yavorov Primary School in the Armenian capital. There the President will take part in the opening ceremony of a room for interactive training and the presentation of a book dedicated to the great Bulgarian poet Peyo Yavorov.     

President Radev will also visit the Center for Creative Technologies Tumo in Yerevan.

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