Bulgaria supports Moldova’s European prospects and our country was one of the first member states which ratified the Moldova-EU Association Agreement. This is what President Rosen Plevneliev said at a meeting with Moldova’s Prime Minister Valeriu Strelet, held within the framework of the 70th session of the UN General Assembly in New York. The Head of State pointed out that Bulgaria is ready to provide assistance of any sort to Moldova on its way to the European Union, including by sharing its experience and expertise, as well as by supporting the reforms conducted.
The Head of State said that the presence of a Bulgarian community of 65,000 people in Moldova is a natural connection between the two countries and voiced hope that the social and economic situation of the Bulgarian community will continue to improve within united and independent Moldova. The President emphasized Bulgaria’s willingness that the conducted administrative reform in Moldova will not affect the region of Taraclia, which is a historically formed center of the Bulgarian national minority in the country. Rosen Plevneliev voiced gratitude to the Moldavian government for creating the necessary conditions for preserving the language and cultural identity of the Bulgarian minority and today Bulgarian is taught in 29 schools in Moldova and the state university of Taraclia. In the Head of State’s opinion, this is important evidence of the close friendship between the two countries, which should continue to develop in the future.
Prime Minister Valeriu Strelet voiced his gratitude for Bulgaria’s strong support for the process of reforms and the country’s European way. In his words, Moldova considers Bulgaria a model for integration in the Euro-Atlantic structures. Valeriu Strelet thanked for Bulgaria’s support in this respect, as well as for the good cooperation in different spheres. Moldova’s prime minister pointed out that the country’s GDP has doubled in the past five years, important infrastructure projects have been implemented, reforms in different sectors have been conducted. After the Free Trade Agreement with the EU came into force, the trade with the member states already comprises 64 percent of Moldova’s foreign trade.
The prime minister of Moldova further said that a serious administrative reform should be conducted in the country, the aim of which is to ensure a better regional management. Strelet assured the Bulgarian President that the interests of the Bulgarian community in Taraclia will be taken into consideration in the context of the arguments put forward by Bulgaria and in the spirit of the traditional friendship between the two countries.
In the UN headquarters in New York President Rosen Plevneliev held talks also with Muhamad Jusuf Kala, vice-president of Indonesia. As of 1 October 2015 Indonesia will introduce a visa-free regime for all EU member states, which will strengthen the contacts and cooperation with Bulgaria, vice-president Kala said.
President Rosen Plevneliev pointed out that Bulgaria highly appreciates Indonesia’s leading role in the region as the biggest country from ASEAN and the Islamic world in terms of population and with a functioning democratic system of government. In the past years Indonesia has achieved a considerable economic growth and confirmed its position as a leading economy in Southeast Asia.
The relations between Bulgaria and Indonesia are rapidly developing and the sessions of the Joint Committee on economic cooperation, the signed memorandums on cooperation in the sectors of tourism, youth and sports and other sectors, contribute to this effect. President Plevneliev thinks that there is a great potential for further expanding the cooperation in the economic sphere by increasing investments and promoting tourism. Therefore it is necessary to strengthen the contacts between the institutions in the two countries, as well as the interaction between the business circles in the two countries. Trade, investments and tourism are the major spheres that enjoy a potential for developing the economic relations, President Rosen Plevneliev and Vice-president Muhamad Jusuf Kala further highlighted.