site.btaPrime Minister Borissov Confers with US Assistant Secretary of State Nuland

Prime Minister Borissov Confers with US Assistant Secretary of  State Nuland

Sofia, January 19 (BTA) - Prime Minister Boyko Borissov Tuesday conferred with US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria Nuland, who is on a working visit to Bulgaria, the Government Information Service said.

Borissov and Nuland described as a successful form of cooperation the established working groups for the development of the bilateral strategic dialogue in key spheres, such as security, energy diversification, rule of law and cultural relations. The working groups were set up following the agreements achieved during the January 2015 visit of US Secretary of State John Kerry.

In the context of the world efforts to handle the migration crisis and security threats, Borissov and Nuland discussed the cooperation in the defence sector and evaluated highly the interaction between the law enforcement bodies in the fight against terrorism.

Borissov said that the strong involvement of the public opinion and the government's political will are factors that are expected to lead to a true reform in the judicial system. It is aimed at providing effective and fair justice, at making the business and citizens feel on an equal footing with the State. "We have set two goals in the judicial reform: the important changes in the Constitution for strengthening the role of the Inspectorate [with the Supreme Judicial Council], the report of the Prosecutor General to the National Assembly, the division of the Supreme Judicial Council and others, as well as the tabling of five bills in Parliament on specific dates: the Judicial Power Act, the countercorruption bill, the two codes and the act on fighting terrorism," Borissov said.

Other key topics during the talks were economic cooperation and energy diversification. The Bulgarian PM informed his guest that the project for a Bulgaria-Greece gas interconnector has been launched and that his country has received support for the construction of the Balkan gas hub. In his words, these two projects, as well as the initiated exploration of natural gas in the Black Sea, will guarantee Bulgaria's energy independence and also broaden the opportunities for the diversification of gas sources and supply routes for part of Europe.

Borissov raised the question about the existing visa regime for Bulgarian nationals, noting that his country is interested in the preservation of the prospects for broadening the US programme for visa-free trips.