The excellent political dialogue between Bulgaria and Cyprus is a natural continuation of the long standing cultural and historical ties and the shared values of the EU member states. This is what Head of State Rumen Radev said at a joint news conference with Nicos Anastasiades, President of the Republic of Cyprus. The Bulgarian Head of State is on an official visit to the country at the invitation of his Cypriot counterpart.
During the President’s visit to Cyprus, a Memorandum for cooperation between the two countries in the sphere of shipping and a three-year Programme for cooperation in the sphere of culture, education and science in the period 2018-2021 were signed by Bulgarian deputy Foreign Minister Emilia Kraleva and the Cyprus Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment Nicos Kouyialis.
Rumen Radev briefed Nicos Anastasiades on Bulgaria’s priorities within the forthcoming Presidency of the Council of the EU in 2018. “I am sure that the two countries share Bulgaria’s priorities. Reaching a consensus in the dynamic times we live in is important so that the EU could be united and strong,” the Bulgarian President said and thanked for the readiness with which the Cypriot institutions shared their experience of the successful European Presidency in 2012.
Competitiveness can be promoted in the individual European states and the EU only by establishing Cohesion policy as a factor for economic growth, the two Presidents emphasized. “We should defend Cohesion policy because Europe can progress only if we share the common goal to make the standard of living and the labor conditions equal for all citizens,” Rumen Radev further said.
The Bulgarian President called for taking new measures to support the business that would promote bilateral trade, which reached 200 million leva in 2015. Nicos Anastasiades, for his part, highly appreciated the contribution of the Bulgarian community in Cyprus to the country’s economic growth.
President Radev voiced Bulgaria’s gratitude for the excellent conditions for living, labor and education Cyprus has created for the numerous Bulgarian community on the island. “Bulgaria is grateful for the fact that more than ten weekend Bulgarian schools have been established in Cyprus and the Bulgarian community’s religious rights are respected and protected,” the Head of State said and emphasized that our country will work to raise the quality of education that facilitates the career development of the great number of Cypriot students studying at Bulgarian universities.
Rumen Radev and Nicos Anastasiades were unanimous that the projects for diversification of the sources and routes of energy resources for our region serve the interest of security and development and all Southeast European countries should pool efforts to implement such projects.
President Nicos Anastasiades voiced conviction that Bulgaria will be a worthy leader of the discussions during the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU and wished our country success. “Bulgaria and Cyprus voiced their faith in united Europe, based on the fundamental principles of democracy and cooperation. The two countries share common positions on key issues, among which are energy, migration and policies to promote economic growth,” Nicos Anastasiades said. He added that Bulgaria enjoys Cyprus’s support for establishing good-neighborly relations and expanding the cooperation with the Western Balkan countries. “I voice the deep gratitude and the high appreciation of all the people of Cyprus for Bulgaria’s active support regarding the Cyprus issue,” the Cyprus President said.
During the meeting Rumen Radev voiced his support for Cyprus’s efforts to strengthen peace, stability and cooperation in the regions of the Eastern Mediterranean, the Middle East and Northern Africa within the different formats for political dialogues.