site.btaCulture and Education Agreement Signed with Austria

Culture and Education Agreement Signed with Austria

Sofia, February 12 (BTA) - Foreign Ministers Daniel Mitov of
Bulgaria and Sebastian Kurz of Austria on Thursday signed an
agreement between their governments on cooperation in culture,
education, science and youth affairs.

Mitov said the agreement creates a solid foundation for even
more intensive cultural and educational exchange between
Bulgaria and Austria.

He said his talks with Kurz had focused on the development of
bilateral relations, including Austrian assistance for Bulgaria
to prepare for its first EU Presidency in 2018 and for
Bulgaria's accession to the Schengen border-free area and the
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and the
two countries' shared interest in building the European Energy
Union.

Kurz said that Austria is the second-largest foreign investor in
 the Bulgarian economy, with 400 Austrian enterprises active in
Bulgaria. In order for all of these enterprises to keep
operating and new ones to be set up, it is necessary to reform
the Bulgarian judicial system, Kurz said.

He further said that Austrian business executives in Bulgaria
had told him that they were happy with the latest developments
here, the new government and the new reforms that had begun.

Mitov and Kurz welcomed the Minsk ceasefire deal for Eastern
Ukraine and expressed the hope that the agreements will be
observed by all sides. Mitov reiterated his support for the
extraordinary diplomatic efforts of German Chancellor Angela
Merkel, French President Francois Hollande and EU High
Representative for Foreign Affairs Federica Mogherini and
expressed Bulgaria's willingness to implement the whole range of
 measures to achieve lasting peace in Ukraine.

"Bulgaria and Austria, along with the entire EU, will work hard
to create conditions for free, peaceful and independent
development of our friend Ukraine," Mitov said.

The European future of the countries of Southeastern Europe is
another matter on which Bulgaria and Austria share a common
view. They will step up their bilateral dialogue to prepare a
planned conference in Vienna involving all Western Balkan
nations which will be encouraged to keep up the reforms that
will allow them to realize their European prospects, Mitov said.