NEWS

Bulgaria and Azerbaijan have established a sincere friendship, they share common positions on a number of issues that are on the agenda of the cooperation in the Black Sea region and are ready to develop their bilateral relations not only in the energy sector, but also in the spheres of pharmacy, information technologies, agriculture and food production, infrastructure construction and tourism. This was the common opinion shared by Presidents Rosen Plevneliev and Ilham Aliyev, who held talks today at 2 Dondukov street. The two signed a Joint declaration on strategic partnership between the Republic of Bulgaria and the Republic of Azerbaijan in the coat-of arms hall of  President’s office. 

 

Azerbaijan is a key partner in our efforts to ensure diversification and improve the energy security not only in Europe, but also in Southeast Europe, President Rosen Plevneliev emphasized. 

 

At the talks held at 2 Dondukov street it was highlighted that Azerbaijan is pinpointed as EU’s strategic partner with respect to energy security in the European Commission’s conception for establishing an Energy Union, made public last week. Rosen Plevneliev emphasized that the agreement reached with Azerbaijan on the annual supply of one billion cubic meters of natural gas lies at the basis of the energy cooperation between Bulgaria and Azerbaijan to overcome Bulgaria’s dependence on one single supplier and is a condition for achieving a real diversification for all countries in the region. Bulgaria is ready to expand the scope of the agreements reached on the supply of gas from Azerbaijan, the Head of State further said.

 

Rosen Plevneiev said that the Interconnector Greece–Bulgaria (IGB) Gas Pipeline Project is an integral part of the Southern Gas Corridor. The implementation of this infrastructure project which is important for Bulgaria will ensure our country’s access to the Trans-Adriatic gas pipeline, which together with the inter-connector with Romania will open the way to the transmission of Caspian gas to the Visegrad Four countries.  

 

President Plevneliev voiced his firm support for strengthening the strategic partnership between the EU and Azerbaijan. 

 

Ilham Aliyev stressed the necessity to encourage the cooperation in the Black Sea and Caspian region, which will contribute to ensuring greater predictability in the relationships. The construction of a high-speed railway link between Europe and Asia will open up new opportunities for economic cooperation. The Bulgarian Head of State highlighted Bulgaria’s role in the Balkan region, which provides opportunities for implementing joint regional projects with Azerbaijan.

 

“We would like to encourage Azerbaijan to make more investments in Bulgaria,” the Bulgarian Head of State said. There is a considerable potential for implementing specific projects in the sphere of public gasification and building infrastructure for the storage of gas in Bulgaria and Southeast Europe. 

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.