site.btaPrime Minister Borissov Confers with Donald Tusk, Theresa May in Brussels

Brussels, October 19 (BTA) - Prime Minister Boyko Borissov arrived here on Thursday to participate in the European Council meeting and conferred with European Council President Donald Tusk and UK Prime Minister Theresa May, Cabinet's press service said.

Borissov and Tusk discussed the priorities of the Bulgarian EU Presidency in 2018 and the upcoming summit in Sofia next May, which they will host and which will focus on the Western Balkans. They agreed that the topic of the Western Balkans is important not only for countries in the region, but the whole EU. According to them, the Bulgarian EU Presidency creates a favourable environment for constructive discussions of the European perspective for Western Balkan countries, guaranteeing the region's economic development, its transport, energy, infrastructure and digital connectivity with the EU.

Tusk expressed support for achieving the Bulgarian EU Presidency's priorities, noting that he expects the Presidency and the upcoming summit in Sofia to allow Bulgaria to play a constructive role in dealing with the challenges from the EU agenda.

The Bulgarian Prime Minister said that his country is preparing responsibly to host the Presidency and to cooperate with the remaining countries from the Troika. Bulgaria is actively working with Estonia in order to achieve maximum continuity regarding the open files, he said. During its Presidency, Bulgaria will seek balance and consensus on current topics on the EU agenda.

Borissov also met with UK Prime Minister Theresa May. The two agreed that their countries will continue their good cooperation for guaranteeing Europe's security, the management of migrant flows and the fight against terrorism, Cabinet's press service said.

May said that she is very familiar with Bulgaria's efforts to protect the EU border and welcomes the Government's achievements in that regard.

The two government leaders also discussed Brexit. Borissov said that the two countries have excellent bilateral relations, which have proven their worth throughout the years, and Britain's leaving the EU will not get in the way of bilateral cooperation and friendship. The Bulgarian Prime Minister also noted the Bulgarian diaspora in Britain' strong role in bilateral relations. These are highly qualified specialists, who are adding much value to the British economy, he said, stressing the importance of guaranteeing the citizens' legal security during the Brexit negotiations between Brussels and London.

Prime Minister May invited Borissov to visit the UK.

Borissov told journalists that he has discussed the European future of the Balkans with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, French President Emmanuel Macron and Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic.