site.btaBritish Prime Minister Cameron Talks with Bulgarian Leaders about Migration, EU Reforms

British Prime Minister Cameron Talks with Bulgarian Leaders about Migration, EU Reforms

Sofia, December 3 (BTA) - A meeting with Prime Minister Boyko Borissov on Thursday marked the beginning of British Prime Minister David Cameron's two-day visit to Bulgaria.

Speaking after the meeting with Cameron, Borissov said this country hopes for Britain's support in the future, especially in the areas of cohesion policy and infrastructure.

Borissov further noted that Bulgaria is doing very well with the Schengen border and the budget deficit, being a financially disciplined country, which is something Europe has taken notice of. The Bulgarian Prime Minister explained that Bulgaria insists on increasing the EU's work, because the contemporary realities require an even better coordination, ever more flexibility and better, braver and quicker decisions than what is currently present.

Borissov noted the good friendship he and David Cameron have, adding that they have always supported each other at European councils.

The Bulgarian Prime Minister said that his British counterpart will visit the Black Sea coast and the border with Turkey on Friday.

Cameron repeated Borissov's earlier remark that his visit is the first bilateral visit to Bulgaria by a serving British prime minister in 16 years.

The British Prime Minister said bilateral relations matter for both countries' security and prosperity. He voiced pleasure from being in Bulgaria not just because of "the good track record on economic reform and fiscal discipline, because of the action you've taken as a strong ally member of NATO to increase your defence budget. And because of all the cooperation that we have and the action you've taken to deal with issues, such as smuggling. So, for all of these reasons it's good to be here and good to pay tribute to the record that you have as the Prime Minister of Bulgaria."

Cameron continued: "Now, as I said, the issues of prosperity and security matter. We are both members of NATO and our armed forces train together, with two multinational exercises this year. Our trade relationship is strong and growing - up ten per cent last year. And today we discussed how we can further strengthen our relationship, how we can reform the European Union to make it more competitive and how we can address the concerns of the British people about our membership." The British Prime Minister added that he and Borissov had also discussed how they could work together to tackle the challenges both countries face from migration and terrorism.

Speaking about EU reform, Cameron said he wants the EU to be more competitive, a source of growth and jobs. That means completing the single market, cutting red tape and signing free trade deals with prospering markets, like the EU-Vietnam trade deal, concluded on Wednesday, he said. "And I want Britain to stay in a reformed European Union. That is why I am working to renegotiate the UK's relationship [with the EU] and to address concerns about the status quo - issues concerning sovereignty, economic governance and migration. We're making good progress and later this month we will have a substantial discussion on the UK's renegotiation at the December European Council. There's significant reforms that we are seeking," he said.

"We are discussing today how we can work together to reduce the numbers coming from Europe and to strengthen the EU's external border. We will be agreeing, I am sure, that we must continue to pursue a comprehensive approach helping Syrian refugees to stay in neighbouring countries and strengthening the EU's ability to detect and return illegal migrants," Cameron said, commenting on the issue of migration.

Discussing what can be done to tackle the terrorist threat facing the two countries, the British Prime Minister said that he and Borissov had agreed on the need for stronger cooperation across Europe, information sharing on passenger records and on the illegal trade in firearms. "And we've discussed the importance of going after "Daesh" [another name for the Islamic State] in its heartlands in Iraq and in Syria, where British fighter jets struck six targets overnight," he said.

Later in the day, Cameron talked with President Rosen Plevneliev, who called for open dialogue in the EU in order to make Europe stronger, more efficient and more competitive, the President's Press Secretariat reported.

Plevneliev said: "It will be in the best interests of everyone in the EU if Britain remains a part of the European project. Everyone stands to lose if Britain leaves."

Plevneliev and Cameron called for open and constructive dialogue in the EU to discuss the British proposals for reforms in the bloc. The two expressed their shared view that the measures and initiatives in the euro area should not cause fragmentation of the single European market.

Plevneliev stressed that the EU should not allow regional development differences to deepen, and that the cohesion policy budget should remain the same. "We need to avoid any limitations on one of the fundamental rights of European citizens: the right of free movement and the opportunity to work anywhere in the EU," he said.

The fight against international terrorism and the effort to deal with the migratory pressure in the EU were also among the highlights of the Plevneliev-Cameron meeting. The Bulgarian President insisted that the EU member states should address the root causes of the conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa. He and Cameron expressed their support for the EU's agreement with Turkey to ease the migratory pressure on Europe and pointed to the need to draw a distinction between refugees and economic migrants.

Cameron said Bulgaria is a good example of efficient control of the external EU borders. Plevneliev assured him that Bulgaria will continue to protect its part of the external EU border in accordance with European rules and to keep track of the immigrants entering its territory.

The President extended an official invitation for Queen Elizabeth II to visit Bulgaria.