27.02.2024
The expansion of bilateral cooperation between the Republic of Bulgaria and the Hellenic Republic is more important than ever in order to meet the challenges in the region and in the world. It is necessary to deepen the existing synergies within the European Union, NATO and other major international organizations where we support each other on many issues. These were the highpoints of the meeting between Prime Minister Acad. Nikolai Denkov and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Hellenic Republic George Gerapetritis in Sofia.
The Bulgarian Prime Minister thanked the Hellenic Republic for its support for Bulgaria’s full accession to Schengen and assured his guest that Bulgaria works hard and looks forward to the day when Bulgarian citizens and business companies will be relieved to travel free of border controls. “This day must come as soon as possible and we count on your support to enable this to materialize in the next few months,” Acad. Nikolai Denkov said further. He also expressed gratitude for the other country’s support for Bulgaria’s accession to the Eurozone and to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
Improvement of transport and energy infrastructure between the two countries was another focus on the agenda of the meeting. In this context, opportunities for cooperation within the Three Seas Initiative (3SI) whose projects contribute to the economic growth and to the strengthening of the connectivity of the region were indicated. Acad. Nikolai Denkov gave prominence to the development of a corridor along the North-South axis, which would ensure better multimodal connectivity of Greece, Bulgaria and Romania.
Acad. Denkov and Gerapetritis were unanimous that the economic and cultural ties between the two peoples should continue with today’s intensity as a basis of a sustainable partnership. Every year between 1.5 and 2 million Bulgarians visit Greece. The number of Greeks who visit Bulgaria is approximately the same. “We, as politicians, can and must strengthen the mutual trust and respect between our two nations,” the Prime Minister stressed. Trade between our two countries reached EUR 4.5 billion or increased by one billion within just one year. Greek investments are present in a number of sectors in Bulgaria and are an integral part of our economy. Bulgaria’s participation as an honored country at the Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF) last year and at the Philoxenia 2023 International Tourism Exhibition was strongly visible and highly appreciated.
Another focus of the meeting of Acad. Nikolai Denkov and George Gerapetritis was the strengthening of the potential of bilateral relations in the field of education, innovation and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Both vowed that people-to-people connectivity is the most valuable asset and that the exchange of knowledge and experience between the young generations is the key to the maintenance of the close relations between the two peoples.
