site.btaUPDATED Foreign Minister Gabriel Takes Part in Gymnich Meeting of EU Foreign Ministers in Brussels

Bulgarian Foreign Minister Mariya Gabriel took part in an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers - Gymnich in Brussels on Saturday. The main topics of the meeting were EU-Africa relations, the war in Ukraine and EU-Turkey relations, Gabriel wrote on her official Facebook page.

"This year marks the 50th anniversary of Gymnich. And today confirmed the importance of this format for open dialogue between EU foreign ministers," Gabriel added.

"It is of strategic importance that the EU supports Ukraine," she said, adding that Bulgaria supports the establishment of a Ukraine assistance fund, which envisages joint defence procurement and the provision of training support through the EU Military Assistance Mission. "We also support investment in the defence industry, including the proposal for joint procurement of equipment," she noted. Gabriel also highlighted EU leaders' agreement on an additional EUR 50 billion support package for Ukraine within the EU budget.

Commenting on EU-Turkiye relations, the Deputy Prime Minister stressed that Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan’s recent visit to Bulgaria was a clear message that good relations between the two countries can contribute to a positive agenda at the European level.

"Turkiye is our strategic ally within NATO, and together we defend the geostrategic importance of the Black Sea. On the issue of migration, which is also important at the European level, good cooperation between Bulgaria and Turkiye contributes to solution provision, the protection of the EU’s external border, and fighting illegal migration. In addition to security and migration, the EU and Turkiye can also cooperate in energy security and connectivity to provide solutions to regional challenges. High-level dialogues should also be resumed, especially regarding Turkiye's participation in European programmes such as Erasmus+ and Horizon Europe," Gabriel further said.

Earlier on the day, the Foreign Minister said that she deems it important that Bulgaria continues to be well received everywhere. Her statement came in response to a question related to the upcoming government rotation.

On Friday, Gabriel took part in the EU-ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Ministerial Meeting and the EU Indo-Pacific Ministerial Forum