site.btaPresident Plevneliev Meets with Moldovan PM and Iranian President

President Plevneliev Meets with Moldovan PM and Iranian President

New York/Sofia, September 22 (BTA) - On the sidelines of the 71th UN General Assembly Session in New York, Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev met September 21 with the Prime Minister of Moldova, Pavel Filip, and the President of Iran, Hassan Rouhani. Bilateral relations and the migration crisis were on the agenda of the two meetings, along with other issues. Details of the meetings were made public by Plevneliev Press Secretariat.

Plevneliev was assured by Filip that a Bulgarian consulate will be opened in Moldova's Taraclia region. Broadening the Bulgarian diplomatic presence in Moldova will help improve consular services for Moldovan citizens of Bulgarian descent, encourage the investment interest of Bulgarian businesses and make the benefits from the European integration process more visible for the Moldovan citizens, said Plevneliev.

He expressed the hope of the Bulgarian side that an ongoing regional administrative reform in Moldova will not lead to the elimination of Taraclia, where the Bulgarian national minority in Moldova is traditionally focused, as an administrative region.

Bulgaria also hopes that an ongoing process of optimization of the school network in Moldova will preserve and even broaden the opportunities for study of the Bulgarian language, Plevneliev said.

He thanked the Moldovan government leader for the conditions his country has provided for preserving and developing the cultural and linguistic identity of the Bulgarian community in Moldova.

The Moldovan Prime Minister urged Bulgarian business people "to look in Moldova's direction".

The two leaders vowed the readiness of their countries to encourage the exchange of trade and investment.

Plevneliev also said that Moldova has Bulgaria's unconditional support for its European integration and that Bulgaria is ready to share the lessons it has learnt in the process of its own accession to the EU. He stressed that the accession of the countries of the Western Balkans and Moldova is in Bulgaria's strategic interests.

In the context of the migrant crisis, Bulgaria's voice in the region will get more loud and the role of Sofia in the EU will be heightened, including in respect of the Eastern Partnership initiative, said Plevneliev.

It transpired during the meeting that an official visit to Moldova by the Bulgarian President is being prepared to take place very soon.

Iran sees Bulgaria as a key partner in its cooperation with the EU

At their meeting in New York, President Plevneliev and President Rouhani were adamant that the friendship and mutual respect their countries share warrant stronger bilateral relations in all fields. Iran considers Bulgaria to be a key partner in its cooperation with the EU, said Rouhani.

The two sides agreed that Sofia and Tehran should capitalize on the favourable moment after the lifting of sanctions on Iran, and strengthen bilateral relations in a number of areas, including transport, research and technologies, logistics, culture and tourism.

The pharmaceutical industry, where Iran is considering the establishment of joint ventures with Bulgarian partners and sales to third countries in the Middle East, was singled out for offering ample opportunities for cooperation. The potential for cooperation in the ICT sector, nano- and biotechnologies, food production, the energy industry and water management was also discussed.

It transpired at the meeting that Iran is planning the construction of a railway corridor via Georgia and is eyeing Bulgarian participation in the project for a link with Europe.

Speaking to Bulgarian reporters in New York, President Plevneliev said that he will encourage a national discussion on the global agreements that have been reached about the migrant crisis, climate change and the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

"By the end of 2016 it should be clear how Bulgaria will adapt its long-term goals and programmes to match them to the global goals," Plevneliev said.

He said that his country has started to plan long term and that the President's Office has helped achieve a national consensus on national development until 2020.

He also said that a State must address its people's fears. "A State does its job when there is border control. When we have waves of foreign citizens crossing the national territory unchecked, the State must do its job and enforce controls while respecting human rights and liberties," the Head of State said.