site.btaStability and Security Top Agenda of President's Talks with Movement for Rights and Freedoms

Stability and Security Top Agenda of  President's Talks with Movement for Rights and Freedoms

Sofia, March 8 (BTA) - Stability and security in the country topped the agenda of talks Tuesday between President Rosen Plevneliev and representatives of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF), said MRF's Mustafa Karadaya. The two sides met as part of the President's initiative for a month of political consultations with the political parties, where the sides discuss their priorities.

Karadaya said that among the issues they discussed was political stability with "this motley Parliament", to use his words. "The President agreed with our views about the economy and the development of our country: that the priority should be on family, small and mid-sized businesses, especially in the agriculture sector," he said.

Karadaya also spoke about the need of investment. "We were able to make investment in infrastructure in the past programming period but the investment in people's livelihood, the investment which generates employment, is more important," he said.

The President said, as quoted by his press office that he would support any effort for targetted support for family, small and mid-sized businesses in Bulgaria. He also expressed support for sector-specific measures for the various agricultural subsectors. "Mountain and rural areas need a sensible policy and Bulgaria has a big potential for encouraging alternative agriculture," the President said. He was adamant that agriculture will preserve its strategic importance on a national and global level.

According to the presidential press office, MRF vowed to remain a constructive and pro-dialogue opposition to the ruling majority in this Parliament and urged the other parties to be equally constructive.

"The present geo-political situation require even more stability and security, and the responsibility for this rests mainly with the ruling majority in Parliament," Co-chairman of the MRF parliiamentary group Chetin Kazak reportedly said.

The MRF representatives reconfirmed their support for the ongoing judicial reform. "We will back any sensible ideas which will result in having a truly independent and just judicial system that lives up to people's expectations and is not vulnerable to undue external influences," said Kazak.

They also said they would support the good ideas in the proposed anti-corruption legislation and working mechanisms - provided that they are not used as instruments for dealing with political opponents.