site.btaForeign Minister Mitov Pays Official Visit to Slovakia

Foreign Minister Mitov Pays Official Visit to Slovakia


Bratislava, March 5 (BTA) - Daniel Mitov is the first Bulgarian
Foreign Minister to pay an official visit to Slovakia since
1999. During the trip, taken at the invitation of Slovak Deputy
Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak, the chief
Bulgarian diplomat also conferred with President Andrej Kiska,
Prime Minister Robert Fico, and with Jana Lassakova, Deputy
Speaker of Slovakia's National Council and Chair of the
Slovakia-Bulgaria Friendship Group, Mitov's Ministry said in a
press release on Thursday.

The two Foreign Ministers found that bilateral relations in all
areas are in an excellent state and discussed opportunities for
their expansion in various spheres. The guest declared a desire
for close and vigorous political dialogue with Slovakia,
including on the EU agenda. He thanked Slovakia for its
unqualified support for Bulgaria's Schengen accession, as well
as for its consent to be a twinning partner for his country's
inclusion in the VISION system which is used as the Schengen
communication network for consultations on visas.

Mitov expressed gratitude to Slovakia for the daily financial
support to programmes and projects implemented by the
organizations of the Bulgarian minority in that country.

Regarding the migration wave to the EU and in particular to
Bulgaria, the Foreign Minister said he relies on Slovakia's
support for Bulgaria's insistence on a new refugee and migration
 policy and much more substantial EU assistance for refugees'
accommodation. Mitov stressed that Bulgaria stands firmly as a
reliable EU external border.

Bilateral cooperation within the framework of the Slovak
Chairmanship of the Visegrad Group in the V4+ format also
figured on the agenda of the Mitov-Lajcak talks. Within this
format, Bulgaria is interested in an expansion and deepening of
cooperation in energy and energy security, employment and social
 policy, and tourism.

The two chief diplomats paid special attentions to the strategic
 issues of energy, energy security and the establishment of a EU
 energy union. Mitov declared Bulgaria's readiness for the
establishment of a gas hub in Varna, including on financing
under the Juncker Plan, as well as for Bulgaria's participation
in the implementation of the EU strategic initiatives: the
Southern Gas Corridor, access to liquefied natural gas,
interonnectors along the North-South axis, and the Vertical Gas
Corridor initiative for reverse-flow transmission in Central and
 Eastern Europe.

Prime Minister Fico was categorical that Bulgaria and Slovakia
are very close in terms of culture and development and, as
natural partners sharing the same interests, must be always
united. The sides discussed Eastring, a new Slovak proposal for
a diversifying natural gas infrastructure opening opportunities
for supplies from Northern and Western Europe. It, too, will be
connected to a potential Turkish hub, enabling gas supply via
Turkey (when and if Turkish Stream is implemented) from the
Caspian basin, Iraq, Iran, and the Eastern Mediterranean. Talks
on this proposal will continue at the expert level in Sofia on
Friday.

"We share a common interest with Slovakia in the development of
the EU Strategy for the Danube Region as a positive example of a
 macroregional strategy," Mitov said. He also counts on
Slovakia's support for Bulgaria's accession to the Organization
for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). "Bilateral
economic cooperation has a substantial growth potential, and
Bulgaria would like to see more Slovak investments," he added.

European and international concerns were also discussed. The
sides support Ukraine's sovereignty, unity and territorial
integrity and agreed that the peace effort is at a critical
point. The sides acknowledged the importance of the joint
declaration agreed by the European leaders in Minsk.

Fico emphasized that Slovakia also incurs losses from the
sanctions against Russia, noting that an enterprise will be
closed down next week and 300 jobs will be lost. "It is not
easy, but we always find a solution," he said.

President Kiska accepted an invitation from Bulgarian President
Rosen Plevneliev to visit Bulgaria this coming autumn.