site.bta Bulgaria, Slovakia to Work Together for Boosting Regional Energy Efficiency

Bulgaria, Slovakia to Work Together for Boosting Regional Energy Efficiency

Sofia, April 15 (BTA) - President Rosen Plevneliev conferred with his Slovakian counterpart Andrej Kiska, said the press centre of the President's Office. Plevneliev is on a working visit to Slovakia to participate in the GLOBSEC 2016 global security forum  with focus on topics related to the future of the EU, the crises in the Middle East and Ukraine, and the migration pressure in Europe.

Bulgaria and Slovakia have many shared positions and priorities on issues on the EU agenda and Bulgaria will draw on the Slovakian experience regarding the EU Presidency, which it is about to take over in 2018, Plevneliev is quoted as saying.  The two countries support the process of EU enlargement towards the countries of the Western Balkans, he also said. The two heads of state voiced hope that this process would be accelerated.

The interlocutors discussed the measures for boosting energy interconnection with a view to achieving competitive prices and guaranteeing the freedom of choice of suppliers of energy resources. Bulgaria and Slovakia are working on a common approach in this respect, Plevneliev said. He declared again himself in favour of the establishment of a  Regional Energy Market in Southeastern Europe. Plevneliev confirmed Bulgaria's support for the Slovakian-proposed Eastring project involving the establishment of a corridor via Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria, which will ensure a possibility for two-way natural gas supplies and for the South-North pipeline project.

President Plevneliev singled out information and communication technologies as another promising sphere of cooperation. Slovakia is a regional centre in the sphere of high technologies in Eastern Europe and Bulgaria has the ambition to become such a centre for Southeastern Europe. The cooperation between the two countries will attract more investments and leading companies, the Bulgarian President also said.