site.btaBulgarian Tourism Minister Angelkova Holds Meetings during Working Visit to US

Washington, D.C., February 24 (BTA) - Within the framework of her working visit to the US, Bulgarian Tourism Minister Nikolina Angelkova conferred with Paul McCarthy, Regional Policy Director, Europe, at the International Republican Institute (IRI), Angelkova's Ministry said in a press release on Saturday.

"Bulgaria is playing an increasingly active role in the Balkans and can be an important factor of the region's economic development, including through various initiatives in tourism," Angelkova said. She presented the priorities of the Bulgarian EU Council Presidency regarding security, prosperity and modern development of Member States. "The integration of the Western Balkans, whose economic, social and cultural potential has yet to unfold, is another important topic of the Presidency," the Tourism Minister pointed out.

She recalled that a High-level Meeting of the Ministers of Tourism of the EU Member States on the subject of "Tourism and Economic Growth" took place in the Bulgarian capital Sofia earlier this month. The 520 or so delegates attending the forum discussed the role of Europe as a top tourist destination in the world.

Angelkova also conferred with Paul A. Brown, Acting Deputy Assistant US Secretary of State for Transportation Affairs at the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs. She stressed that Bulgaria has a legacy that spans at least seven historical ages and, with over 40,000 uncovered artefacts, ranks third in Europe in historical heritage. It is also among Europe's richest countries in mineral water and therapeutic resources and could become a SPA centre of the continent.

The Bulgarian Tourism Minister also held a meeting with World Affairs Councils of America (WACA) President and CEO Bill Clifford, to whom she presented Bulgaria as a regional factor promoting a high quality and sustainable development of tourism in Europe, the press release said.

In Washington, Angelkova visited the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where she conferred with Paul Stronski, a senior fellow in Carnegie's Russia and Eurasia Program.