site.btaSchengen Membership, Energy and Security Top Agenda of President Plevneliev's Meeting with Romanian Counterpart Iohannis

Schengen Membership, Energy and Security Top Agenda of  President Plevneliev's Meeting with Romanian Counterpart Iohannis

Bucharest, February 20 (BTA spec. corr. Assen Boyadjiev) -
Schengen membership, energy interconnections, bilateral
cooperation, the fight against corruption and the collective
defence within NATO were among the topics discussed by President
 Rosen Plevneliev and his Romanian counterpart Klaus Iohannis
during their Friday meeting here. Plevneliev is on an official
one-day visit to Romania on Friday.

Commenting Bulgaria's and Romania's Schengen accession,
President Plevneliev said it is about time for the simple
justice to triumph the way it happened with many other
countries. He was speaking at a joint news conference with
President Iohannis. "This is why this year we will once again
join our efforts, not expecting that Bulgaria's and Romania's
Schengen accessions will be put off endlessly," Plevneliev
noted.
"We do not expect and do not agree with there being a connection
 between the Mechanism for Verification and Schengen
partnership, which are two different instruments," the Bulgarian
 Head of State added.

"We decided to maintain active and constructive dialogue with
our European partners in order to once again underscore the
arguments for our two countries' accession to the Schengen Area,
 more so that we have met all formal criteria," President
Iohannis said.

Answering a question about the talks of a new gas corridor,
which will link Bulgaria, Romania and Greece, President
Plevneliev noted that work is underway on a new gas
interconnector between Bulgaria and Greece, which will be
completed in 2017 and become operational in 2018. The
Bulgaria-Romania gas interconnector will be bidirectional and
part of the North-South gas corridor, which is making progress,
Plevneliev explained, adding that the two countries have agreed
to make it a priority and have it completed as soon as possible.

The Bulgarian President said that creating joint instruments for
 the purchase and sale of energy was set as a goal. Both
countries agree that there is a need for a regional energy
exchange in order to achieve a liberal market and opportunities
for alternative supplies, he went on to say.

Answering a question about Romania's achievements in the fight
against corruption, Plevneliev said: "Our Romanian friends have
something to brag about and this is where Bulgaria definitely
lags behind. We, in Bulgaria, can very quickly achieve the same
results. What is needed is political courage."

The Romanian President expressed the common goal to consolidate
collective defence within NATO, along with increasing the
Alliance's presence and capacity to react in the two countries.

Plevneliev and Iohannis also discussed energy infrastructure
projects, international affairs, the situation in Ukraine. "We
want to deepen cooperation, including in the security field,"
Plevneliev said.

President Iohannis noted the good bilateral relations,
mentioning the fact that President Plevneliev is the first Head
of State whom he has received in Bucharest since taking office.
Iohannis noted the huge potential for developing relations,
especially in the economic sphere. He said that the need to
develop educational projects of the Bulgarian community in
Romania and the Romanian community in Bulgaria was also
discussed.

Plevneliev is scheduled to confer with Prime Minister Victor
Ponta, Senate President Calin Popescu-Tariceanu, and with
Chamber of Deputies Vice-Chairman Florin Iordache. Plevneliev is
 also scheduled to meet with Bulgarians living in Romania and
with Romanian business executives. Foreign Minister Daniel
Mitov, who is on a two-day working visit to Romania since
Thursday, joined the Bulgarian delegation.