site.btaQatar Shows Interest in Investing in Kozloduy N-plant's Unit 7

Qatar Shows Interest in Investing in Kozloduy N-plant's Unit 7

Sofia, May 18 (BTA) - Qatar is interested in investing in and
funding Unit 7 of Bulgaria's Kozloduy N-plant. This emerged from
a meeting between Prime Minister Boyko Borissov and Sheikh
Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani of Qatar, the Government Information
Service said Monday.

Borissov is heading a Bulgarian government delegation on an
official visit to Qatar May 16 to 18.

The Bulgarian Prime Minister noted that his country wants to
build a new nuclear capacity at Kozloduy, on the site of the
existing nuclear power plant. Facilities were built there in the
1970s that give Bulgaria an advantage of having infrastructure
and trained nuclear engineers at its disposal. Following the
early shut down of the first four units, which was a condition
for Bulgaria's EU membership, this country has decided to build
a new generation modern reactor to meet both its energy needs
and the highest environmental criteria, he explained. The Prime
Minister noted that Bulgaria had signed an agreement with
US-based Westinghouse Electric Company LLC for the supply of the
reactor, and that the country is now looking for a strategic
investor. Sheikh Al-Thani expressed interest in Bulgaria's
energy strategy and asked for a detailed presentation on the
parameters of the project.

Borissov and Sheikh Hamad discussed the possibilities for Qatar
to supply liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Bulgaria. "It is
important for Bulgaria to diversify gas supplies. We are working
hard on the construction of interconnectors with Greece,
Turkey, Romania and Serbia, with the Bulgaria-Greece
interconnector being a priority. This will allow us to import
gas from LNG terminals on the Greek coast, as the passage of gas
tankers through the Bosphorus is impossible at this point,"
Borissov said. The two agreed that deepening cooperation in the
energy sector is of mutual interest for Bulgaria and Qatar, as
well as for the European Union.

Sheikh Hamad showed interest in the Thracian treasures and
wished for the Bulgarian exhibition "The Saga of the Thracian
Kings: Archaeological Discoveries in Bulgaria", which is
currently on display at the Louvre, to be represented in Qatar
as well.

Bulgarian Finance Minister Vladislav Goranov and Qatari Finance
Minister Ali Shareef Al Emadi discussed opportunities for
investment in the Bulgarian economy, Goranov's ministry
reported. Goranov was on the Bulgarian government delegation in
Qatar.

Qatar is willing to invest in financial instruments issued by
the Bulgarian Development Bank and the Bulgarian Deposit
Insurance Fund (BDIF), thus helping Bulgaria, under very good
terms for the country, to finance its national programme for
energy efficient rehabilitation of multihousehold residential
buildings and to capitalize BDIF, the ministry said.

During their meeting in Doha, Goranov and Al Emadi discussed
ways to deepen cooperation between Bulgaria and Qatar. Goranov
said that his country can offer Qatar favourable conditions for
investing in financial instruments. Bulgaria enjoys both
political and economic stability, which has been acknowledged by
the financial markets after a recent issue of Bulgarian
government securities, he said.

Al Emadi showed interest in potential Qatari investment in
Bulgaria not only in the financial system, but also in the field
of energy, agriculture and infrastructure. In his capacity as
Board Chairman at Qatar Airways, Al Emadi discussed an
expansion of the Qatari flagcarrier's business in Bulgaria and
expressed his satisfaction with the company's performance in
Bulgaria so far.

The sides also considered schemes for Bulgarian agricultural
exports to Qatar.

Bulgarian Agriculture and Food Minister Dessislava Taneva
conferred with Qatari Environment Minister Ahmad Amer Mohammad
Al-Humaidi, Taneva's ministry said in a press release. It
transpired during the meeting that Bulgaria and Qatar will
actively develop their cooperation in the field of agriculture.
Qatar shows strong interest in Bulgarian agricultural products,
sheep-breeding, poultry farming and bee-keeping, and intends to
invest in these sectors.

Taneva told her host that there are no GMO products in Bulgaria
and the produce is biologically clean, which offers good
opportunities for its sale on the Qatari market.

The Bulgarian Environment Minister invited her Qatari
counterpart to visit Bulgaria together with business
representatives in September so that they can specify the final
parametres of the bilateral agreements in agriculture, the press
release reads.

Bulgarian Regional Development and Public Works Minister
Liliyana Pavlova conferred with Qatari Municipal and Urban
Planning Minister Abdul Rahman Bin Khalifa Bin Abdul Aziz
Al-Thani. They reviewed their ministries' bilateral relations
thus far and marked specific steps for their future development,
Pavlova's ministry told BTA.

Pavlova raised a question about the difficulties experienced by
Bulgarian companies in the application for bidding procedures
and the impossibility to meet part of the specific requirements
of the documents for the procedures. She assured her Qatari
counterpart of the interest of Bulgarian builders and producers
in entering the local market.

The two ministers also discussed the opportunity for Bulgarian
companies' participation in the implementation of the ambitious
construction projects related to the 2022 FIFA World Cup in
Qatar. It was agreed that Bulgaria will be informed of the
forthcoming online bidding procedures through its embassy in
Doha so that the Bulgarian companies can have the opportunity to
choose.

Transport, IT and Communications Minister Ivaylo Moskovski
conferred with Dr Hessa Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of
Communication and Information Technology, and with Transport
Minister Jassem Bin Saif Ahmed Al Sulaiti. According to the
Transport Ministry in Sofia, Moskovski presented to the hosts
the plans for Bulgarian transport infrastructure facilities for
which concessions will be offered, paying special attention to
the airports and ports. The Qatari side showed interest in the
Varna Por and the two sides agreed that Qatari experts will
visit the port to see what its capacity is. During such a visit,
a memorandum may be signed on development of maritime
transport.

According to Moskovski's Ministry, the interest for operation of
the Doha-Varna air service by Qater Airways was reconfirmed
during the talks.

The two sides also discussed possible cooperation in training
and exchanges of experience in the area of air traffic control.


The two sides also conisdered ways of stepping up cooperation in
the IT sector, possible joint projects and a visit by Bulgarian
experts and a business forum in Qatar where they will be able
to present their experience to potential Qatari partners.