site.btaEU's Unity Is Important for Overcoming Challenges, Presidents of Bulgaria, Slovakia Agree

EU's Unity Is Important for Overcoming Challenges, Presidents of  Bulgaria, Slovakia Agree

Sofia, December 10 (BTA) - The EU's unity is important for  overcoming challenges, agreed the presidents of Bulgaria and  Slovakia, Rosen Plevneliev and Andrej Kiska, who gave a news  conference within Kiska's visit to Sofia on Thursday.
   
Taking a question, Plevneliev said that international terrorism  is not a threat only to the EU and its unity. "We saw terrorist  attacks in many European capitals - in Paris, in London - and we  also saw a terrorist attack at [Bulgaria's] Sarafovo Airport.  The problems with the existence of extremists, radicalized young  people cannot be solved in one day," he added. "Only together  can we work for the creation of such a prospect for young people  - through integration and education - that they would not turn  to radicalism," he went on to say. In his words, the terrorist  attacks and the migration wave affect the EU's stability and the  solution lies in unity, which is the only available instrument.
 
Kiska commented that the EU can handle the migration wave as  long as its Member States remain united and find common  solutions together. He expressed the conviction that the EU,  through its power, the number of its population and joint  efforts can deal with this crisis. He noted the need of  distinguishing between economic migrants and refugees.

The guest also talked about the shared view of the importance of  diversifying the energy sources and creating new ones as a  solution to the dependence on Russia. He commented that North  Stream 2 cannot be defended only as a business project, adding  that the EU is above all a matter of solidarity.

Plevneliev agreed with his Slovak counterpart, noting that North  Stream cannot possibly be just a business project and that the  European Commission should apply the same rules to North Stream  2 as it did to South Stream. 

The Bulgarian head of State also said that the bilateral trade  with Slovakia amounts to nearly 500 million euro and the number  of Slovak tourists in this country has exceeded 70,000 people.  The potential is even bigger and Bulgaria is ready to use it, he  added.

Plevneliev went on to say that Bulgaria and Slovakia have good  traditions and significant achievements in the sphere of  information technologies, the automobile industry, machine  building, agriculture, and food production, and that they share  a desire to encourage the mutual investments in these sectors.  There is also potential for implementing joint projects for  entry in third markets, he added.

Plevneliev said that on Friday he and Kiska will open  together Sofia Tech Park, Bulgaria's and the Balkans' first  high-tech park, and once again outlined the advantages of this  innovation eco-system which, in his words, creates opportunities both for Bulgaria and the region. 

Prior to the press conference, the two sides signed five official documents: a programme for cooperation between the two  countries' education and science ministries in 2015-2020; a  treaty on cooperation in culture between the ministries of  culture; a memorandum of understanding and cooperation in energy  efficiency, energy saving and renewable energy between the  Bulgarian Agency for Sustainable Energy Development and the  Slovak Agency for Innovations and Energy; a memorandum of  understanding and cooperation between Sofia Tech Park and the  Slovak Agency for Innovations and Energy; and a memorandum of  understanding between the Bulgarian Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion Agency and the Slovak Agency for Innovations and  Energy.

Plevneliev's press secretariat reported that during the one-on-one meeting between the two presidents, the highest state distinctions were exchanged as a sign of the bilateral relations' high level of development. The Bulgarian head of State received the Order of the White Double Cross, First Class, and President Kiska was presented with the Order of the Balkan Range with ribbon.
   
Later on Thursday, the Government Information Service reported that at their meeting, Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and the Slovak President agreed that their countries are connected by close friendly relations based on historical closeness and strengthened by their membership in the EU and NATO. The deepening of economic cooperation, which has big potential, will increase the two states' strength, Borissov and Kiska also agreed.

The Bulgarian PM said that Sofia Tech Park is a great platform for cooperation in the sphere of high technologies. He also underscored the good relations with Slovakia in the sphere of energy both at the institutional and company level. Borissov informed the guest of Thursday's signing of the final investment decision on the construction of the Greece-Bulgaria Intersystem Gas Connection, as well as of the support received by the European Commission for the construction of a gas hub in Bulgaria. "Our country will back all projects that secure the diversification of natural gas routes and sources for the region," Borissov said.

The Prime Minister and Kiska also discussed the migration problem in Europe. Borissov said that Bulgaria is handling perfectly the protection of the EU's external border and that this is acknowledged on the European level. The two sides agreed that efforts should be made to manage the root causes of migration, as well as to cooperate with key third countries.