site.btaTheresa May Asks Boyko Borissov to Work for Greater Flexibility on Irish Border Question

104 POLITICS - BRITAIN - BULGARIA - PRIME MINISTERS

Theresa May Asks Boyko Borissov
to Work for Greater Flexibility
on Irish Border Question


Sofia, February 18 (BTA) - Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov had a telephone conversation with his British counterpart Theresa May on Sunday at the latter's request, the government press service in Sofia reported. May asked for support for greater flexibility within the European Union in negotiating for the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and reaching an agreement on Brexit by March 29.

Borissov assured May of his support for the effort to reach an agreement which will guarantee that Britain, the EU and its 27 member states will keep up their good relations. He singled out three areas in which striking a deal is crucial not only for the EU as a whole but also for Bulgaria in particular.

First, he pointed to the need to preserve the high level of cooperation in security and the instruments available in this field by stipulating exclusive jurisdiction for Britain. Bulgaria has always maintained the highest level of cooperation and very successful joint actions with its British colleagues in the framework of Europol as well, and wants this to continue after Brexit, Borissov said.

The second important area, according to the Bulgarian Prime Minister, concerns the status of EU citizens in Britain and of British citizens in the EU. The matter is very important to Bulgaria in view of the large numbers of Bulgarians in Britain and Britons in Bulgaria, he said.

Last but not least, it is important to avoid tension and to prevent the undermining of peace when tackling the border issue between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

May thanked Borissov for the timely referral of the Gebrev case to the British authorities and for the inclusion of a British team in the investigation into the 2015 poisoning of the Bulgarian businessman. LY/VE

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