site.btaPresident Radev Participates in Presidential Panel of St. Petersburg Economic Forum

121 ECONOMY- PRESIDENT-ST. PETERSBURG-FORUM

President Radev Participates in
Presidential Panel of
St. Petersburg Economic Forum

June 7 (BTA Special Correspondent Lora Metanova) - "A new, supranational approach of the people on the planet is called for, one that young people already have, but politicians still cannot afford," Bulgarian President Rumen Radev said here on Friday. Together with Russia's President Vladimir Putin and China's President Xi Jinping he was taking part in Friday's plenary session at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum dedicated to the UN sustainable goals by 2030.

In his opinion, the new economic paradigm should be based on knowledge, technology and innovations. This 'green' economy should rest on the concept of open science, new consumer culture and new production ethics that have to be part of educational programmes and economic strategies. Sustainable development requires a more effective mechanism for global security which will bridle the temptation for unilateral forceful actions and will promote dialogue and multilateral diplomacy.

Sustainable development also presupposes prevention of financial crises, and with that a more precise regulation of financial markets for mitigating risks. A global consensus is called for against corruption, money laundering and tax evasion, as well as limitation of offshore zones, the Bulgarian President added, and these should necessarily be based on security and social peace.

Lack of security and poverty forces people to migrate, and feed xenophobia and nationalism in the recipient countries. An effective model is called for to guarantee security and stability, investments in economy, education and healthcare in the countries of origin, Radev said.

Radev commented that mutual recognition and acceptance of national cultural codes is the fundament of sustainable development.

Russia has received its alphabet from Bulgaria whose lands have also given it Christian faith and Old Church Slavonic. Thousands of years later, Bulgaria was liberated by Russia in 1878 in a war where thousands of Russian soldiers died. Bulgarians will never forget that, the President said and added that this is an example of how cultural ties survive in spite of the vagaries of time.

Radev also noted that the participation of the President of Bulgaria, with its population of seven million, as well as the prime ministers of Slovakia and Armenia, along with two of the world leaders is a message about the importance of one of the main ideas of sustainable development: that it is achievable only with the contribution of all countries. He perceived his participation in the forum as an acknowledgement from all states and as a recognition of Bulgaria's capacity to build bridges between different regions and cultures.

Undermining international rule of law and the transition to a polycentric world generate instability, Radev said, noting that the increased costs for defence every year indicate that the security environment is not improving, distrust is increasing and the aspiration to technological dominance in order to achieve a political one leads to capsulation of science in narrow geographical frames, academic migration and technological discord between countries.

Overcoming these challenges requires a comprehensive approach uniting a broad spectrum of tools - from the political to the cultural, Radev said./IG/BR


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