site.btaParliament Chair Karayancheva: Bulgaria Fully Supports Georgia's Sovereignty, Territorial Integrity

June 17 (BTA) - Bulgaria fully supports the sovereignty
and territorial integrity of the Republic of Georgia, and
congratulates the Georgian people on choosing to include in the
Constitution its desire for European integration, National
Assembly Chair Tsveta Karayancheva said on Monday after a
meeting with her Georgian counterpart Irakli Kobakhidze.

The Chairperson of the Georgian Parliament is paying an official
 visit to Bulgaria as head of a parliamentary delegation at
Karayancheva's invitation. The visit comes a year after the
signing of a bilateral agreement on parliamentary cooperation.

Karayancheva said that she and Kobakhidze discussed the
excellent relations between their countries and the active
dialogue on the highest level. She underscored the role of the
bilateral cooperation agreement and the opportunity it creates
for Bulgaria to help Georgia in its Euro-Atlantic and European
integration.

Georgia is a key foreign political partner of Bulgaria in the
Black Sea region, the South Caucasus and the Eastern
Partnership, Karayancheva also said. She stressed Georgia's role
 as a strategic partner of the EU in increasing the security of
energy supplies and their diversification. "The development of
the Southern Gas Corridor and its expansion in the South
Caucasus and on Georgia's territory are very important for the
supply of Caspian energy resources to Western Europe," she
noted.

On his part, Kobakhidze said that the friendship between
Bulgaria and Georgia is based on longstanding traditions. He
thanked Bulgaria for supporting his country's sovereignty. "We
are also very grateful for the support we are receiving from
Bulgaria in relation to our strive to join the EU and NATO," he
added. He underscored that the European and Euro-Atlantic
integration are key goals of Georgia's foreign policy.

The guest also said that he and Karayancheva discussed the
untapped potential for bilateral cooperation. "We are extremely
motivated to use this potential, particularly in the context of
the Black Sea region. Together we could serve as a bridge
between the West and the East, between Europe and Asia, and we
should take advantage of our potential as such a bridge," he
argued. According to him, it is necessary to use the big
cultural closeness between Bulgaria and Georgia - part of the
Orthodox culture - as a basis for improving the bilateral
relations.

RY/DS


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