site.btaForeign Minister Holds Talks in Sidelines of UN General Assembly Session

New York, September 22 (BTA) - Bulgarian Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva took part in an informal meeting of women ministers of foreign affairs in New York on September 21, Zaharieva's ministry reported. The event took place at the residence of the Permanent Representative of Liechtenstein to the United Nations and was hosted by Liechtenstein's Foreign Minister Aurelia Frick and Sweden's top diplomat Margot Wallstrom.

Zaharieva also had a series of bilateral meetings in the sidelines of the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly. She talked with the foreign ministers of Kazakhstan, Libya and Tunisia.

Kazakhstan's top diplomat Kairat Abdrakhmanov encouraged Bulgarian companies to view his country as a gateway to Central Asia, a market of 500 million people. Abdrakhmanov recalled that Bulgaria was the first foreign country he visited in his life, back in 1984. He believes Bulgaria can use its earlier image as an exporter of high-quality vegetables and machines. He thanked Sofia for its unconditional support for starting an EU visa waiver process for Kazakhstan.

Since Kazakhstan is planning to turn the EXPO 2017 complex in its capital Astana into a hub for developing high technology and promoting start-up businesses, Zaharieva suggested that Bulgaria could share its experience in promoting the IT sector. "We have the most IT experts per capita in Europe," she noted.

Meeting with Tunisian Foreign Minister Khemaies Jhinaoui, Zaharieva recalled that Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov was the first European leader to visit Tunisia in the wake of the Arab Spring. She said the EU's relations with its neighbours, including Tunisia, will remain a priority during the Bulgarian EU Presidency in the first half of 2018. According to Zaharieva, Bulgarian tourists are very fond of Tunisia as a holiday destination and look forward to the restoration of stability in the country.

For his part, Jhinaoui said the EU is a major partner accounting for 80 per cent of Tunisia's foreign trade. He expressed his desire to visit Bulgaria before the Bulgarian EU Presidency in order to present his government's progress in national reforms.

Zaharieva also talked with Libyan Foreign Minister Mohamed Taha Siala. She welcomed the efforts of Ghassan Salame, Special Representative and Head of the UN Support Mission in Libya, and his roadmap for political stability and reforms. Zaharieva said: "Many Bulgarians have worked in your country. It is about time we renew our relations and our economic contacts."

Taha Siala invited Bulgarian construction companies to share in Libya's restoration after the revolution, noting that Bulgarian builders are well-known in his country for their quality work and competitive prices. According to Zaharieva, Libya could send young people to study at Bulgarian universities. She said Sofia would like to reopen its embassy in Tripoli. "This would allow us to resume the on-site issuance of visas to Libyan nationals who want to travel to Bulgaria," she said.