site.bta Bulgarian Foreign Minister Mitov Confers with Malaysian Counterpart Anifah Aman in Kuala Lumpur

Bulgarian Foreign Minister Mitov Confers with Malaysian Counterpart Anifah Aman in Kuala Lumpur

Kuala Lumpur/Sofia, March 29 (BTA) - Bulgarian Foreign Minister Daniel Mitov conferred with his Malaysian counterpart Anifah Aman, Mitov's Ministry said in a press release on Tuesday. "The relations between Bulgaria and Malaysia can be further developed and expanded in the context of Bulgaria's membership in the EU, under the increased partnership between EU and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) and other multilateral formats," Mitov said at the meeting.

The Bulgarian Foreign Minister is on an official visit to Malaysia from March 28 to 31, the first such visit to the country in the history of the bilateral relations.

Mitov congratulated Malaysia for its active role in the regional and global scales, as a member of ASEAN, and as a non-permanent member of the United Nation's Security Council in 2015-2016.

Mitov noted that Malaysia is an important partner of the EU in Southeast Asia, saying that Bulgaria supports the negotiation on signing a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement and a Free Trade Agreement between the EU and Malaysia.

The talks on the two agreements started at the end of 2010 and continue.

The two foreign ministers concurred that Bulgaria and Malaysia value highly the friendly relations between them. The participants in the talks noted that both countries are willing to do their best to intensify the political dialogue which will in turn further the cooperation in all areas of mutual interest.

Mitov said that Bulgaria attaches priority importance to the trade and economic relations with Malaysia and noted that the country is one of the fastest developing economies in Southeast Asia. He stressed that Bulgaria will welcome Malaysian investments in its economy. The Bulgarian Foreign Minister said that his country offers traditional goods for export to Malaysia, including foods, wines, milk and dairy products, mineral water, essential oils, rose oil in particular, products of the mechanical engineering and electric engineering.

At a special event organized earlier by the Malaysian organization for international trade, Mitov presented Bulgaria as an attractive destination to local entrepreneurs. Mitov conferred the Golden Laurel Bough award of the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry to the Honorary Consul of Bulgaria in Malaysia Stephen Soh.

Mitov also conferred with the Speaker of the lower house of the Parliament of Malaysia, Pandikar Amin Mulia.