site.btaPrime Minister Talks with Experts from US Department of State and Department of Energy

Prime Minister Boyko Borissov met
with experts from the US Department of State and Department of
Energy in Sofia on Tuesday, the Bulgarian government information
 service said. The US delegation's visit comes in implementation
 of agreements reached during Borissov's meeting with President
Donald Trump in the White House on November 25. The guests' aim
is to get to know the local energy enterprises in greater
detail. Their talks with the Prime Minister were also attended
by Deputy Prime Minister Tomislav Donchev and Energy Minister
Temenouzhka Petkova.

Borissov said: "Most importantly, President Trump understood and
 encouraged us, because, as a member of NATO, we are a very
loyal and good partner and we can serve as a model for others.
Second, [we concurred that] the Balkan Stream project is not at
odds with the natural gas interconnector with Greece; they
complement each other for genuine diversification in the whole
region. And third, [we acknowledged that] the nuclear energy
industry should be free of dogmas, particularly when we talk
about green energies, clean air and the quality of life."

The Prime Minister also noted that coal-fired power plants do
not have a rosy future, especially now that the European
Commission is working on a European Green Deal. Therefore, the
Belene nuclear power plant project in Bulgaria and the country's
 existing N-plant at Kozloduy are becoming extremely important
not only for the purposes of energy diversification but also for
 Bulgaria's future energy balance, he said.

He further stressed that cooperation with the United States will
 help Bulgaria boost its energy security and diversify its
energy sources and energy supply routes, including by importing
liquefied natural gas on beneficial terms for Bulgaria. "Nuclear
 energy could provide a sound basis to develop our two
countries' partnership," Borissov added.

Ann Ganzer, Deputy Assistant Secretary at the US State
Department Bureau of International Security and
Nonproliferation, said that Prime Minister Borissov had "a very
good meeting" with President Trump. Ganzer said that her
immediate superior, Assistant Secretary of State Christopher
Ford, also has very good impressions from his November 16
meeting with Borissov in Sofia.

On Monday, the US energy experts visited the site for the future
 Belene N-plant. Energy Minister Petkova briefed them on the
technical parameters of the project and underscored Bulgaria's
experience in nuclear energy, given the successful management of
 the Kozloduy N-plant according to the highest safety standards.

In the coming days, the guests will also tour the Maritsa East 2
 Thermal Power Plant and the Kozloduy N-plant. DS/VE