site.btaForeign Minister Mitov Confers with EU Member States' Ambassadors

Sofia, August 19 (BTA) - "The caretaker Cabinet's principal task is to guarantee the stability of the State until the conduct of parliamentary elections and the formation of the next government," Bulgarian Foreign Minister Daniel Mitov said at a working meeting with the EU Member States' ambassadors here on Tuesday.

He pointed out that, at the same time, the caretaker Cabinet is also responsible for the continued honouring of the country's commitments as EU and NATO member. "There should be no doubts that Bulgaria is a loyal and dependable partner," the Foreign Minister said.

"Reform is the keyword for Bulgaria," Mitov pointed out. "Clearly, we cannot work miracles in two months, but we can do the groundwork for the future government so that it could start off without delay," he added.

"We appreciate the opportunity to exchange thoughts at the very beginning of your term in office. It is important for us to know what the Government's priorities and positions are," said Ambassador Marco Conticelli of Italy, which now holds the rotating EU Presidency.

The Foreign Minister and the EU ambassadors discussed the results of the extraordinary meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council which took place on August 15. They concurred that the situation in Iraq is exceedingly grave and requires a quick and adequate reaction in terms of providing both relief aid and military support.

The situation in Ukraine, the EU sanctions against Russia and the reciprocal sanctions on the part of Moscow also figured on the agenda. Besides this, Mitov and the diplomats discussed the expectations of the NATO Summit in Wales in September and Bulgaria's preparation to take over the EU Presidency in 2018.

The Foreign Minister and the ambassadors furthermore discussed Kristalina Georgieva's nomination for a second term as a member of the European Commission and for the office of EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. "Apart from management skills, Commissioner Georgieva possesses excellent knowledge of the geopolitical situation in the world and has won the trust of a large part of the leaders of a number of countries and can start working as a High Representative right away," Mitov pointed out. "We believe that this is an excellent candidature," he said.