NEWS

 

In recent years, Bulgaria and Greece have raised bilateral cooperation in the development of energy and infrastructure connectivity to a new level. This was the common position of the presidents of the two countries, Rumen Radev and Konstantinos Tasoulas, who held a meeting today within the framework of the Delphi Economic Forum. The two agreed that Bulgaria and Greece share a common mission to strengthen stability in the Balkans and stimulate their economic development.

 

President Tasoulas highlighted the importance of the project for the construction of a multimodal transport corridor connecting Greek ports in the Aegean Sea with the Bulgarian ports of Burgas, Varna and Ruse. In this regard, President Radev expressed our country's interest in participating in the management of the ports of Alexandroupolis and Kavala.

 

Bulgaria and Greece today are an example of a strategic partnership, which can be a model for the development of our neighbours in the Balkans, Radev stressed. The Bulgarian head of state expressed his gratitude to his Greek counterpart for the support our country received for joining the Schengen land area adding that this, in turn, will contribute to a subsequent increase in the exchange of people, goods and services.

 

Rumen Radev also noted that the two countries have reached a level in their bilateral partnership that opens up qualitatively new opportunities such as expanding the infrastructure for the transmission of energy resources from South to North, as well as the joint construction of large data centres and gigafactories for artificial intelligence.

 

During the meeting, Konstantinos Tasoulas stressed the importance for the Greek side of reaching a bilateral agreement on the waters of the Arda River in connection with the upcoming irrigation season in Greece. President Radev expressed Bulgaria's readiness to approach this issue constructively in the spirit of the strategic relations between the two countries and respect for their interests.

 

 

Statement by Head of State Iliana Iotova

For projects aimed at improving connectivity between Bulgaria and Turkiye must be viewed as a whole, to be successful, and within the context of closer cooperation in Southeastern Europe. This will bolster both economic development and security in the region, whose strategic importance is growing. This was stated by President Iliana Iotova at a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who is on a formal visit to Bulgaria.

Albulena Haxhiu expressed her gratitude to President Iotova for Bulgaria’s support on Kosovo’s path toward membership in NATO and the European Union.

Iliana Iotova raised the issue of depopulation in the area along the Bulgarian-Serbian border and highlighted the need for investment to counter the adverse demographic trend.