site.bta President Plevneliev Confers with Lower Austria Governor Proll

President Plevneliev Confers with Lower Austria Governor Proll

Vienna, April 27 (BTA) - On the second day of his visit to Austria, Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev conferred with Lower Austria's Governor Erwin Proll. Bulgaria and Lower Austria share a common vision for the European and regional development and have actively developing trade and economic relations. Bilateral trade has the potential to be more dynamic, Plevneliev said after the meeting, quoted by his Press Secretariat on Wednesday.

Among the most promising sectors outlined are machine building, electronics, information technologies and the textile industry. Close to 450 companies from Lower Austria have contacts with Bulgarian companies, which will be further enhanced, especially in the tourism sector, Governor Proll said.

Bulgaria is interested in the opportunities for inter-company cooperation, creating mixed enterprises and jointly entering third markets, as well as attracting investors for a number of infrastructure projects, the Bulgarian head of State noted. The Austrian experience in supporting companies that develop innovative technologies, as well as in the creation and development of clusters, is also of interest, he added.
There are 17 economic parks in Lower Austria, which represent 940 national and international companies.

Plevneliev said that Bulgaria is striving to actively interact with Lower Austria for the better utilization of the Danube region's economic potential.

The two also discussed the migration crisis. Erwin Proll noted that the Austrian authorities are closely monitoring the situation related to the migration flow. According to him, there are three main ways to deal with this problem - a common European solution to migration flows and provision of asylum, enhancing security along the EU's external borders and fighting human trafficking.

Plevneliev said that Bulgaria is also monitoring closely the migration flows towards Europe and the situation along the borders of neighbouring countries. Bulgaria is the only country that is not involved in transferring refugees from one border to another. Migrants in Bulgaria are registered, interviewed and granted a status. "We distinguish between those fleeing the war and those seeking better economic perspectives," he said. According to the President, all the crises in Europe can be overcome with cooperation. "We are seeking sustainable and working solutions," the head of State added. In the past two years, Bulgaria has done a very good job in protecting the external border with Turkey. "We are in favour of implementing the agreement with Turkey and of having rules observed by everyone," he underscored.

Plevneliev was decorated with the Golden Commander's Cross with the Star of Honour for Services to the province of Lower Austria. Governor Proll in turn received the Order of the Balkan Range, First Class.

On Tuesday Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev opened his two-day working visit to Austria by a session of talks with Austrian President Heinz Fischer. The Bulgarian head of State presented to his host the Order of the Balkan Range with ribbon, which was conferred on Fischer for his services to the promotion of bilateral relations. For his part, Plevneliev received the Grand Star of the Decoration for Services to the Republic of Austria.

Emerging from the meeting, the two presidents briefed the press on their agenda. They had focussed on the refugee problem and the options for containing it. Topical issues of the two countries' foreign policy and international problems had been discussed as well. Plevneliev and Fischer stressed the exceedingly good political, economic and cultural relations between Bulgaria and Austria and the mutual feelings of friendship and trust. The guest thanked the Austrian head of State for his significant contribution to the settlement of problems of the countries in the Balkans and their integration into the European family.

Culture Minister Vezhdi Rashidov conferred on Wednesday with Minister for Education, Social and Family Affairs in the Government of Lower Austria, Barbara Schwarz, and the Director of the Lower Austrian State Museum, Carl Aigner, Rashidov's Ministry reported.

The Bulgarian Culture Minister, who joined President Plevneliev's delegation on Wednesday, negotiated the exchange of exhibitions in 2019 between the Bulgarian National Gallery and the Lower Austrian State Museum. Schwarz noted that the exchange will take place as part of the Danube Strategy.