site.btaMerchant Shipping Agreement Signed with Israel

Merchant Shipping Agreement Signed with Israel

Sofia, July 14 (BTA) - Bulgarian Transport Minister Ivaylo
Moskovski and Israeli Ambassador to Sofia Shaul Kamisa Raz
signed a Merchant Shipping Agreement between the two countries
on Tuesday.

Moskovski said the agreement is important for a number of
reasons. The Middle East is plagued by serious tensions and
quite a few countries, such as Jordan, are using Israeli
seaports as exit points because they themselves are blocked by
those tensions, he told journalists. Therefore, Haifa and other
Israeli ports handle much of the sea cargo and passenger traffic
 of the Middle East, and Bulgaria is a potential client, so the
new agreement is important to Sofia, Moskovski said.

He noted that Bulgaria is a traditionally popular destination
for Israeli tourists, and having signed bilateral agreements in
the field of air and land transport, it was also necessary to
have one on maritime transport.

Ambassador Kamisa Raz said this is a "professional, detailed
agreement clearly designed to be of use both for trading in
various products and for exchanging tourists."

In light of the 2012 Bourgas terror attack on the Bulgarian
coast which killed five Israeli tourists, Kamisa Raz raised the
question of safety of all modes of transport. He complimented
Moskovski for a well-maintained infrastructure, stressing that
Israel's relations with Bulgaria have peaked over the last
couple of years. This is evidenced by two highest-level meetings
 over the period and a third one which will be held in Sofia
later in the year, he said.