site.btaIn Poland, Foreign Minister Mitov Discusses Bilateral Cooperation, NATO Summit

In Poland, Foreign Minister Mitov Discusses Bilateral Cooperation, NATO Summit

Warsaw, June 8 (BTA) - "The Republic of Bulgaria attaches great importance to the active dialogue with the Republic of Poland. There are no unsolved issues between our two countries, and we are optimistic about deepening economic and tourism cooperation. Our country is interested in an increase of two-way trade and of Polish investments in Bulgaria," Bulgarian Foreign Minister Daniel Mitov said, conferring with his Polish counterpart Witold Waszczykowski during a working visit to Poland, Mitov's Ministry said in a press release on Wednesday.

The two chief diplomats discussed a broad range of questions, including bilateral relations, cooperation in the framework of international organizations, challenges facing the EU, as well as the forthcoming NATO Summit in Warsaw.

Mitov welcomed the signing of the Agreement on Military Cooperation and the Agreement on Logistical Support for the MiG-29 Fighters between the two countries, as well as the negotiations held on joint air policing of Bulgaria. "By these agreements, Bulgaria and Poland reaffirm their strong political will for enhanced defence cooperation and make their contribution to the strengthening of NATO in Europe," Mitov said. He thanked Poland for its consistent support to Bulgaria's accession to the Schengen area.

The Bulgarian Foreign Minister added that his country highly appreciates Poland's leading role in the EU and Central and Eastern Europe.

"We hope that our cooperation within the Visegrad Group will evolve as an integral part of the efforts targeting the main objective: making the EU more prosperous, more secure and more democratic," Mitov said.

The two chief diplomats stressed that Bulgaria and Poland, jointly with their allies, will meet the challenges arising from the conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa. "With joint efforts, we will seek an efficient management of migrant flows and will support the countries of the Western Balkans in coping with the consequences of these processes," Mitov and Waszczykowski said.

The NATO Summit, due in Warsaw on July 7 and 8, was also on the agenda. "We rely that the matters of priority importance for Bulgaria, which are identical with those for Poland, will find their place in the Summit decisions," the Bulgarian Foreign Minister said. The sides share the view that the Summit will seek to find common solutions to the challenges and to outline the significance of the Alliance in safeguarding security on a global scale. "Given the existence of numerous threats to our countries, NATO cannot but strengthen its eastern flank," the two chief diplomats asserted.

Mitov also conferred with the Deputy Marshal of the Polish Sejm, Ryszard Terlecki, and delivered a public lecture entitled "NATO and the EU in Challenging Times: the Bulgarian Perspective" at the Polish Institute of International Affairs.