site.btaChancellor Merkel Congratulates Borissov on Third Term as Prime Minister

Chancellor Merkel Congratulates Borissov on Third Term as Prime Minister

Sofia, May 4 (BTA) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel congratulated Boyko Borissov on his election as prime minister, the government information service said.

In a telephone conversation she said Borissov's phenomenal success - his election for a third term as government leader - was evidence of the trust placed in him and of his courage.

Merkel said she was confident that their excellent cooperation would continue. She noted that she hoped Bulgaria's Presidency of the EU Council in 2018 would be constructive and good for the European Union.

Borissov talked about the key priorities at the start of the new government's term. He stressed the importance of financial discipline and of a deficit-reduction policy starting in 2017, which should lead to a balanced budget in 2020. He also emphasized the need to accelerate economic growth so as to achieve considerable GDP growth and increase the Bulgarians' incomes.

Borissov said Bulgaria would stick to the track of Euro-Atlantic integration and would work for reforming the EU in the name of its successful development and enlargement. The Prime Minister assured Merkel that the government would be a guarantor of ethnic peace in Bulgaria and that all citizens' rights would be respected equally.