site.btaCroatian Foreign Minister Stier: "Direct Air Service with Bulgaria Will Facilitate Relations in Tourism"

123 BULGARIA - CROATIA - FOREIGN MINISTER - VISIT

Croatian Foreign Minister Stier:
"Direct Air Service with Bulgaria Will
Facilitate Relations in Tourism"


Sofia, May 29 (BTA) - "The establishment of a direct air service between Bulgaria and Croatia will broaden opportunities for the growth of relations in tourism," Croatian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Davor Ivo Stier said here on Monday, emerging from a meeting with Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva.

Stier is paying an official visit to Bulgaria on May 29.

The guest added that his host and he had also discussed energy, the European agenda, and the possibility of Croatia tapping Bulgaria's experience of the absorption of EU funds.

Zaharieva noted that two-way trade grew in 2015-2016 and the number of Bulgarian tourists who visited Croatia doubled. "Unfortunately, this is not the case with Croatian tourists who visited Bulgaria, but this department, too, saw a 10 per cent rise," she pointed out, expressing the hope that a direct air service between Sofia and Zagreb will contribute to an increase of the tourist traffic between the two countries.

"We hope to deepen contacts by organizing ever more business forums," the chief Bulgarian diplomat said.

Among other things, her agenda with her Croatian counterpart covered stability in Southeastern Europe and the situation in Macedonia. "We agreed that there is no alternative to the Western Balkans and their future in the EU, depending on each country's individual progress," Zaharieva commented.

She added that she had gratefully accepted Stier's invitation to attend the conclusive meeting of the Croatian Chairmanship-in-Office of the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP). Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov will also take part in the meeting. LI/LG
//