“My official visit here, in Germany, is a sign of the extreme importance of the relations between our two countries. Germany is Bulgaria’s strategic economic and investment partner. “This is what Head of State Rumen Radev said, who is on an official visit to the Federal Republic of Germany at the invitation of German President Joachim Gauck. Rumen Radev was welcomed in Berlin with an official ceremony in the Presidential palace Bellevue, where together with President Gauck they reviewed the Guard of Honor of the Bundeswehr. The two presidents greeted the Bulgarian and German students who had come to watch the official ceremony.
“We exchanged opinions on the topical EU agenda and that of our two countries. We share common responsibilities and values on ensuring a strong, prosperous and safe united Europe. We are facing quite a few challenges – armed conflicts, terrorism, a migration wave, globalization, scarce available resources. Under such circumstances we have to continue our active cooperation, which has a great potential, particularly in the sphere of economy and investments,” the Bulgarian President said at the joint news conference with his German counterpart.
President Joachim Gauck, for his part, said that the people in Germany and Europe are interested in the domestic political challenge the country has to overcome – fighting corruption. “We know that Bulgaria has been taking measures for quite some time and hopefully results will soon be achieved,” Gauck said.
Rumen Radev said that Bulgaria will continue working so as to ensure a stable and predictable business environment for the German business. “In Bulgaria we are firmly resolved to pool the efforts of the institutions, the civil society, the parties, to ensure an efficient fight against corruption and crime, to ensure clear and transparent conditions for the business in Bulgaria. I am sure that this will lead to new investments from Germany because the economic policy Bulgaria pursues helps the implementation of successful projects in high technologies and the high added-value sectors,” the Head of State added.
President Radev voiced his contentment with Germany’s commitment to assist the implementation of the dual vocational training system in Bulgaria. “This is an invaluable assistance and investment in our young generation and I do hope you will continue to support us,” the Bulgarian President further said.
During the talks the two Presidents also exchanged ideas on improving the European citizens’ security. “Such a security is based on shared responsibilities and solidarity. Bulgaria is making every effort at its external border to protect all European citizens and the external EU border. However, we rely on a greater solidarity not only in terms of personnel, equipment and resources, but also in terms of a long-term operational planning to tackle the migration crisis. We rely on a stronger commitment and predictability from all other EU member states to support Bulgaria in the event of a sharp increase in cross-border migration, to back Bulgaria’s prompt entry to the Schengen border-free area and to assist the readmission of illegal migrants,” Head of State Rumen Radev said.
The President said that Bulgaria has fulfilled all technical requirements for Schengen membership and has proven that it is protecting Europe’s external borders, meeting the necessary criteria. “The fact that some individual countries do not yet accept Bulgaria as a well-prepared candidate for Schengen membership means that the technical criteria have been mixed up with political and other criteria,” President Radev further said and added that Bulgaria cannot protect these borders effectively unless it has access to the visa information system. The Bulgarian President was adamant that the lack of access to these systems increases the risk for all European citizens.
President Joachim Gauck emphasized the importance of Bulgaria’s active commitment to the protection of the EU’s external border. “In the coming months and years, Europe will have to adopt a new orientation. It should be explained to as many people as possible how successful and beneficial the European project is,” President Gauck emphasized. He pointed out that the majority of the Germans have a positive attitude towards Europe. “Bulgaria’s future lies in the European model, that is why the Germans should realize that the European idea should be strengthened in Bulgaria through acts of solidarity,” he commented.
Later in the day Head of State Rumen Radev will attend the opening ceremony of the Economic Forum for Bulgaria. Representatives of over 100 German companies will take part in the forum, which is organized by the German Chamber of Industry and Trade.
The program of the visit further includes meetings between President Radev and Gernot Erler, chairman of the German-Bulgarian forum and between President Radev and Bishop Antonii – Metropolitan of West and Central Europe.
During his visit in Berlin, the Bulgarian President is accompanied by Foreign Minister Radi Naydenov and Economy Minister Assoc. prof. Dr. Teodor Sedlarski.