site.btaParliament Officials of Bulgaria and Azerbaijan Discuss Bilateral Cooperation

Sofia, January 17 (BTA) - Bulgarian National Assembly Chair Tsveta Karayancheva and the leader of the Azerbaijan-Bulgaria Friendship Group in the National Assembly of Azerbaijan, Rauf Aliyev, discussed opportunities to promote cooperation between the two countries during a meeting in Sofia, the Bulgarian legislature reported on Wednesday.

Karayancheva said she expects that the traditionally good relations between Sofia and Baku will become even deeper and more dynamic. She stressed the importance of cooperation in culture, tourism, energy and other sectors.

Recalling Prime Minister Boyko Borissov's visit to Baku earlier in the week, Karayancheva said the first scheduled air service between Bulgaria and Azerbaijan, which has just been launched, will boost two-way tourist exchange.

Aliyev described Bulgaria as a friendly nation and expressed his satisfaction that it is presiding over the EU Council in the first half of 2018. It is important for the two countries to look ahead and develop their relations in the field of energy, transport, new technology, culture and sport, Aliyev said. He noted that a deal which has been sealed will allow Bulgaria to receive 1 billion cubic metres of natural gas from Azerbaijan every year beginning in 2020.

Azeri Ambassador to Bulgaria Nargiz Gurbanova said during the meeting that the Bulgarians have always had very warm feelings for Azerbaijan, regardless of who is in power. Gurbanova pointed out the importance of bilateral interaction in the field of transport.

Hamid Hamid, who chairs the group for friendship with Azerbaijan in the Bulgarian National Assembly, said he and his counterpart Rauf Aliyev have decided that the two parliaments will hold football and tennis tournaments.

At a separate meeting, the friendship groups in the two legislatures agreed that Bulgaria and Azerbaijan should keep working for the expansion of their relations in the economy, sport, tourism and energy. They discussed bilateral parliamentary cooperation and partnership in specific areas. They, too, stressed the importance of the Sofia-Baku air service for the promotion of bilateral ties in tourism, business, education and sport.