site.btaFriendship Groups in Bulgarian Parliament, French Senate to Hold Joint Meeting

Friendship Groups in Bulgarian Parliament, French Senate to Hold Joint Meeting

Paris, March 5 (BTA) - Meeting here on Thursday, Bulgaria's
Parliament Chairperson Tsetska Tsacheva and Loic Herve, Chairman
of the France-Bulgaria Friendship Group in the French Senate,
agreed to hold a joint meeting of the friendship groups in the
Bulgarian Parliament and the French Senate as part of the
initiative for a Thracian art exhibition at the Louvre between
April 14 and July 22, the Bulgarian Parliament said.

Tsacheva and Herve confirmed that traditionally,
Bulgarian-French relations are close and friendly both at
government and parliamentary level. The two spoke in favour of
strengthening bilateral cooperation in all areas of shared
interest.

Tsacheva said that Bulgaria attaches an exceptional importance
to establishing direct, permanent contacts with France as a
strategic partner. She stressed her country's strong interest in
larger two-way trade and French investments. A quick, adequate
assessment and new solutions are needed to tackle the challenges
facing Europe today. Tsacheva noted that being an external EU
border, Bulgaria is faced with the challenge of a refugee wave,
which is subject to public debate and is on the agenda of all
Bulgarian institutions. She added that Bulgaria is reforming
many areas, especially the judiciary, where it strictly applies
the EU's recommendations.

The sides concurred that creating a favourable, predictable and
stable political, economic and regulatory environment for
business is key to the further development of Bulgarian-French
trade and economic relations.

Tsacheva also met with the prominent French politician Catherine
Lalumiere, Parliament said in a press release. Tsacheva gave
Lalumiere a martenitsa, a traditional Bulgarian symbol of
spring, health and hope, which will be included in UNESCO's
list of intangible cultural heritage at the end of 2015.

Tsacheva and Lalumiere met at the House of Europe in Paris
during Tsacheva participation in a High-level Conference,
organized by UNESCO and entitled "Re-Thinking Women's
Empowerment and Gender Equality in 2015 and beyond". They
discussed current topics on Europe's agenda.

On the occasion of Bulgaria's national holiday marked on March
3, Tsacheva will present former Council of Europe Secretary
General Lalumiere with an honorary diploma on Thursday evening.
The French politician will receive the distinction for her
exceptional contribution to the development of Bulgarian-French
political relations and Bulgaria's accession to the European
structures.

Later on Thursday, Tsacheva is meeting with Claude Bartolone,
President of the French National Assembly