site.btaBulgarian Prime Minister Borissov Visits Ukraine, Confers with President Poroshenko, PM Groysman

Kiev, May 27 (BTA Special Correspondent Antoan Nikolov) - Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov arrived in Kiev on Saturday afternoon, following a trip to Croatia. He was the first Bulgarian head of government to visit Ukraine in 14 years.

In the evening, Borissov conferred with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and with Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman. They discussed ways to deepen bilateral contacts and foreign policy matters of current relevance.

The guest and Poroshenko concurred that their countries will increase their cooperation in education. The President told a news conference after his session with Borissov that the two had discussed arrangements for training Bulgarian language teachers.

The Prime Minister insisted that the members of the Bulgarian community in Ukraine should be able to study Bulgarian language, culture and history without hindrance and said that Bulgaria's institutions and administration will continue to facilitate this effort. Borissov welcomed a declaration signed in late April on guaranteeing the members of the Bulgarian national minority in Ukraine the right to study and be schooled in their mother tongue.

The Bulgarian head of government noted further that the Mixed Intergovernmental Commission will meet in the autumn to explore opportunities for cooperation between universities in the two countries and to assist instruction in higher learning.

Borissov said that a way out of the crisis in Ukraine lies in the observance of the Minsk agreements by all parties and expects that this can be achieved through negotiations. "We have always been in favour of peace because this is the most sacred thing. We must do everything possible to preserve peace," he emphasized.

Poroshenko thanked Bulgaria for supporting Ukraine's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity. He stressed that 2018 is a special year in Bulgarian-Ukrainian relations as it marks the 100th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The President added that he counts on Bulgaria's support at the Ukraine-EU Summit, due on July 9. He noted that the EU-Western Balkans Summit, which took place in Sofia, was a great success.

Poroshenko pointed out that the two countries strictly honour their bilateral commitments, citing as an example the direct air service between Kiev and Sofia. He welcomed the expanding business and economic relations between Bulgaria and Ukraine, noting that two-way trade grew by 37 per cent in the first half of this year alone from the like period of 2017. Bulgaria is one of the first countries to ratify the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU.

At their meeting, the two prime ministers discussed economic matters and the transport links between the two countries. "I agree on the need to ensure the infrastructure between the two countries, and I am open for new projects to ease our connectivity," Groysman said.

Sofia Mayor Yordanka Fandakova, who is on Borissov's delegation to Ukraine, conferred with Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko on Saturday. The two discussed major projects and a possible exchange of expertise. Kiev is working on infrastructure and traffic-related  projects and is planning to upgrade a waste recycling facility and extend its metro network.
 
Fandakova invited Klitschko to visit the Bulgarian capital.

A Dimitar Peshev Square and memorial plaque were formally inaugurated in Kiev on Sunday. As Deputy Chairman of the National Assembly, Peshev (1894-1973) was instrumental in the saving of Bulgarian Jews from deportation to Nazi death camps in 1943. In March 2018, on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the rescue of the Bulgarian Jews from the Holocaust, the Kiev City Council adopted a resolution on naming a square in the centre of the Ukrainian capital after Peshev.

Addressing the square naming ceremony, Borissov recalled that during those "obscurantist times" Bulgaria saved all its Jews, demonstrating its unity and humanity.

"Kiev and Sofia share common values of tolerance among people. The Bulgarian people and our city can be proud of their history," Fandakova said at the ceremony.

Late Saturday evening, Poroshenko and Borissov attended the UEFA Champions League final, in which Read Madrid beat Liverpool, 3-1.