site.btaPresident Radev: CETA's Ratification by Parliament Must Be Done with Maximum Consensus

Varna, on the Black Sea, July 19 (BTA) - Speaking to journalists here on Wednesday, President Rumen Radev said that having the most accurate information about the EU-Canada Comprehensive and Economic Trade Agreement (CETA) is of vital importance, while its ratification by Bulgaria's Parliament must be done with maximum consensus. Radev attended the closing stage of the Breeze 2017 international naval exercise.

The agreement with Canada is exceptionally complicated and comprehensive and will impact all areas of public life, the head of State said. There are many questions that must be answered and the agreement must be put up for a broad public debate, Radev noted.

Commenting the Breeze 2017 naval exercise, the President, who is also Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Bulgarian armed forces, said that it was a large-scale exercise not just in terms of the number of participants, but also in terms of the broad spectrum of tasks and scenarios.

Commenting the shipbuilding programme for the Bulgarian Navy, Radev said that the project for new ships is expected to move to the next stage, while Bulgaria's industry must be included in such projects for modernizing the Bulgarian Army.

Defence Minister Krassimir Karakachanov added that the shipbuilding programme will become a fact. He recalled that in addition to building ships, funds must be allocated for the partial modernization of the Navy's existing vessels.