site.btaPresident Plevneliev Meets with King Abdullah II of Jordan, Georgian Prime Minister

President Plevneliev Meets with King Abdullah II of Jordan, Georgian Prime Minister

Munich, February 13 (BTA) - President Rosen Plevneliev met with King Abdullah II of Jordan here on Saturday within the 52nd Munich Security Conference. The two leaders called for coordinated actions of the international community against terrorism in the Middle East, Plevneliev's press secretariat reported.

They agreed that political negotiations are the only way to achieve a lasting solution for ending the violence in Syria. Plevneliev underscored that Bulgaria and the EU are following with concern the crisis in the Middle East, and expressed gratitude for the efforts of Jordan and King Abdullah II to solve the conflicts in the region.

The Bulgarian head of State and the King of Jordan also agreed that the Islamic State's terrorist activity is a main factor for the destabilization of the Middle East and the neighbouring regions, and requires coordinated and purposeful efforts on the part of the international community to counteract terrorism and extremism. King Abdullah II underscored that it is very important to prevent the spread of radical Islam in the Balkans.

In Plevneliev's words, putting an end to the civil war in Syria and including representatives of influential groups from the Syrian society in the political process, is the way to stop the huge refugee flow towards Syria's neighbouring countries and Europe.

The EU is ready to broaden its support for all countries which bear the main burden of accepting refugees from the conflicts in the Middle East, and Bulgaria is part of these efforts, Plevneliev went on to say. There are over 1 million Syrian refugees in Jordan and this country is a good example of a successful integration of asylum-seekers through the provision of access to education and job opportunities. Bulgaria too is a good example of tolerant coexistence of various religious communities, Plevneliev noted.

The Bulgarian President underscored that his country and Jordan have bilateral relations of mutual trust and share common positions on the current matters on the regional and international agenda. He also praised the bilateral partnership within international organizations.

The two sides expressed mutual desire to increase the bilateral trade, which exceeded 130 million dollars in the last two years, as well as to promote the tourism exchange between Bulgaria and Jordan.

On Friday evening, Plevneliev conferred with Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili, the presidential information service reported. They expressed the opinion that their countries wish to deepen their partnership in the sphere of economy and energy by using their potential as transport and energy corridors between Europe and Asia.

Plevneliev said that Bulgaria is Georgian exports' top destination among EU Member States. Bilateral trade amounted to 537.1 million dollars in 2014 but the two countries' capabilities are much greater, he noted.

"The Black Sea should be a zone of free trade and cooperation, and Bulgaria and Georgia can play an important role in strengthening the Black Sea Region's transport potential. By modernizing the ferry lines from Bourgas and Varna to Batumi and Poti, we will build a competitive transport infrastructure," Plevneliev underscored.

The Georgian Prime Minister expressed interest in Bulgaria's experience with constructing a transport infrastructure and the reform in the water sector, and said he was impressed by Bulgaria's progress in these spheres in the last years. Plevneliev shared good practices and expressed his country's readiness to provide expert assistance to Georgia which, in his words, is an important partner in Bulgaria's efforts to diversify the sources and supply routes of natural gas.

The Bulgarian head of State voiced support for Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as for its European and Euro-Atlantic prospects. He confirmed Bulgaria's position in favour of lifting the visa regime for Georgian nationals.