site.btaForeign Minister Svetlan Stoev Receives Maldivian Counterpart Abdulla Shahid

Sofia, July 28 (BTA) - Foreign Minister Svetal Stoev and his
Maldivian counterpart Abdulla Shahid Wednesday discussed the
opportunities for promoting cooperation between the two
countries within the framework of the first ever Bulgarian visit
 by a top diplomat of the Republic of Maldives. The talks also
dwelt on Minister SahidÒs vision statement for the Presidency of
 the 76th Session of the UN General Assembly for one year, from
September 2021.

Within the plenary talks, the Bulgarian side, led by Deputy
Foreign Minister Zaritsa Dinkova, expressed this countryÒs full
support for the priorities outlined by Minister Shahid in his
capacity of President-elect of the 76th session of the UN
General Assembly: the management of the COVID-19 crisis, vaccine
 supply, gender equality and the fight with climate change.

Dinkova congratulated Shahid on his election as President of the
 76th Session of the UN General Assembly, noting that this is a
token of his achievements and professional experience. She
assured him he could rely on BulgariaÒs support in achieving his
 goals as President.

The sides underscored the traditionally good relations between
Bulgaria and the Maldives, and discussed the prospects of
boosting ties between the EU and the Maldives in the context of
the forthcoming talks for a EU-Maldives Partnership and
Cooperation Agreement and a future EU Cooperation Strategy in
the Indo-Pacific region.

In the context of bilateral relations, the Bulgarian side
underscored the need of activating bilateral political dialogue,
 creating conditions to promote exchange in economy, tourism and
 education, as well as cooperation in international formats.

Minister Shahid said that his country is also interested in
deepening cooperation in education, expressing hope that
students from his country will study in Bulgaria.

The delegations discussed the opportunity for appointing
honorary consuls of the two countries to help ease bilateral
contacts, including tourist travel.

Earlier in the day, Minister Shahid met with Tourism Minister
Stela Baltova. The talks focused on promoting cooperation
between the two countries in the field.  Baltova pointed out
that the Maldives are an attractive destination for
luxury-seeking Bulgarian visitors. From November 2020 to May
2021, some 10,000 Bulgarians went to the Maldives.   

Bulgaria ranks 17th among the incoming tourist markets of the
Maldives, Shahid said, expressing hope this would continue in
the future too. He explained that over 98 per cent of front-line
 workers in tourism there are vaccinated and that they wanted
tourist to feel safe.

The possibility of signing a memorandum of agreement focusing on
 joint marketing activities was also discussed./NV/BR