NEWS

Presidents Rosen Plevneliev and Joachim Gauck Confirmed the Strategic Partnership between Bulgaria and the Federal Republic of Germany in the EU and NATO

The Federal Republic of Germany is Bulgaria’s strategic partner and ally in the EU and NATO. The two countries share and defend European values – peace, democracy, safeguarding human rights and freedoms, the rule of law and are united by the idea of building a peaceful, united and prosperous Europe. This was the common position shared by Head of State Rosen Plevneliev and the President of the Federal Republic of Germany Joachim Gauck, who held talks at 2 Dondukov street today. President Joachim Gauck is on a three-day official visit to Bulgaria at the invitation of the Bulgarian President.

“Germany is one of the countries from which Bulgaria draws the most knowledge and ideas for its modernization,” President Rosen Plevneliev said and added that Joachim Gauck’s official visit in Bulgaria “marks a new stage in the development of the bilateral relations.”

The Federal Republic of Germany is a strategic investor and Bulgaria’s principal trade partner after we joined the EU, President Plevneliev highlighted. More than 5,000 German companies are active in Bulgaria and 1,200 of them have their representations in the country. The bilateral trade reached 6,3 billion euros in 2015. Germany is one of the biggest investors in the Bulgarian economy, with over 2.6 billion euros of investments. Over 620,000 German tourists visit Bulgaria each year, Rosen Plevneliev further said. The two Heads of State are due to open a Bulgarian-German business forum at which emphasis will be laid on the country’s opportunities to attract new German investments.

The Head of State further said that the cultural and educational exchange between Bulgaria and the Federal Republic of Germany are extremely rich – more than 7,000 Bulgarian students study at German universities and 200,000 of our compatriots have chosen Germany as their home. They build bridges of cooperation and friendliness between the two peoples.

“I should highlight the bilateral cooperation in the sphere of justice, home affairs and fighting corruption, in strengthening the rule of law in Bulgaria,” the President further emphasized. Rosen Plevneliev thanked for Germany’s prompt reaction and for agreeing to send its expert in the mission for making an independent analysis of the Bulgarian Prosecutor’s Office. President Gauck congratulated the Bulgarian Head of State on the progress achieved in conducting the judicial reform and reiterated Germany’s readiness to continue helping our country in this process.
In President Plevneliev’s words, Bulgaria has always adopted a responsible stance and has always been part of the efforts to find a common European solution. “Despite having to often make difficult decisions, Bulgarians have never considered sacrificing the European solidarity and have always supported the European idea. Bulgaria is a stability factor in the Balkans that cannot be disregarded, we help our neighbors on their road to EU integration, we protect the external EU borders professionally and efficiently and grant refugee status to those refugees that meet the criteria,” the Head of State pointed out. Rosen Plevneliev was adamant that despite the record number of crises in the neighboring regions and throughout the world, our country is stable and diligently works to ensure its modernization and will continue to pursue a principled and balanced foreign policy.

Bulgaria and Germany firmly support the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine, it further emerged at the news conference.

 Rosen Plevneliev and Joachim Gauck called on for strengthening the cooperation between the European states in the field of fighting terrorism. “We are adamant that the EU should not succumb to fear , but should defend its values and way of life,” was the position voiced by the Bulgarian Head of State. The cooperation between the two states within NATO and the forthcoming summit in Warsaw in July, were also discussed at the meeting. “We are convinced that the unity of NATO and its ability to guarantee the collective defense of all allies, including the countries from the eastern flank, will be demonstrated in Warsaw,” President Plevneliev highlighted.

The Head of State recalled that Bulgaria joined the group of allied countries, led by Germany, within the NATO “framework nation” conception and currently it is improving its capabilities in the fields of military medicine, joint intelligence and surveillance, civil and military cooperation. A new framework agreement on cooperation between the Defense Ministries of the two countries was recently signed.

Both Rosen Plevneliev and Joachim Gauck highlighted the necessity of adopting a common European approach so as to cope with the migration pressure on Europe. “The refugee wave does not affect only individual countries, but the whole EU. Europe should focus on solving the problems that cause the refugee flows and efficiently control its external borders, safeguarding human rights,” the Bulgarian Head of State said. The President called on for adopting a pro-active approach, which should focus on solving the conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa and emphasized that our country is a good example of strictly observing the European rules and registers all migrants that enter the country,” the Head of State further said. “It is pivotal for European security that Bulgaria and Romania soon become full-fledged members of the Schengen area,” the President further added.

In reply to a journalist’s question, both Presidents voiced hope that the citizens of Great Britain will vote for the UK remaining in the EU.

Earlier today President Rosen Plevneliev awarded his German counterpart Joachim Gauck the highest Bulgarian state honor – the Stara Planina order with ribbon “for his substantial contribution to strengthening the bilateral relations and his leadership and breadth of vision on building a peaceful, democratic and united Europe.” Rosen Plevneliev also recalled Joachim Gauck’s contribution as a dissident during the totalitarian regime and his reiterated messages not to forget the lessons learned from the totalitarian regimes in the 20th century.