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 went on to say 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.