Bulgaria’s PM had a telephone conversation with US Secretary of Commerce

Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Boyko Borissov had a telephone conversation with US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur L. Ross, Jr., the Government’s press office said on June 9.

The Prime Minister stressed the tangible deepening of the fruitful cooperation between Bulgaria and the US, especially since his meeting with US President Donald Trump in November 2019 and the Strategic Dialogue between Bulgaria and the US that was held in Sofia at the beginning of 2020.

The Prime Minister expressed confidence that as allies and strategic partners, Bulgaria and the United States will continue to build upon their cooperation, both on a broad bilateral basis and within NATO and EU-US cooperation.

Borissov called attention to trade and economic ties and the significance of US investors for Bulgaria. He welcomed the intensifying US initiatives for deeper business contacts with Bulgarian companies. He added that he was further convinced of the potential of bilateral relations after his meeting in November in Washington with representatives of the American Chamber of Commerce, which is the most influential organization of American business with more than 300,000 member large and medium-sized companies in the United States.

The PM also emphasized the cooperation in the energy sphere. Borissov was adamant that a top priority for the Bulgarian government is the diversification of natural gas sources and routes. He reminded that in 2019 Bulgaria will for the first time supply liquefied natural gas to the Bulgarian market - a total of 500 million cubic metres, including from the United States at competitive prices.

Borissov noted the progress in the construction of the Greece-Bulgaria gas interconnector, which will give the entire region access to alternative natural gas supplies from various sources, including the Caspian. Construction is proceeding apace, with topsoil stripped off on over 50 km of the pipeline route in Bulgaria and on more than 15 km in Greece.Within two weeks, the Greek company J&P Avax is expected to bring an automatic welding machine to Bulgaria, which will significantly speed up the building of the interconnector. Pipes, too, are being manufactured and delivered, and over 70 km of the pipes have already arrived and are stored at three bases in Bulgaria.

PM Borissov pointed out that the project for the construction of the liquefied gas terminal near Alexandroupolis is in full synergy with the interconnector. He recalled that at the beginning of this year Bulgartransgaz EAD signed a preliminary contract for the purchase of a 20% stake in the project company that will build the terminal, emphasizing that our country has participated in the project and contributes to the possibility of having LNG supplied from various sources, including the US, Qatar, Israel, etc..

During the conversation, the Prime Minister noted the challenges that the world is facing because of the COVID-19 crisis. He emphasized the timely measures that Bulgaria has taken in the fight against the infection.

He thanked the US for all its support to Bulgaria's efforts to curb the spread of the coronavirus. He also expressed confidence that the close cooperation for dealing with the pandemic and for the recovery of the economies will generate a new impetus for the strategic dialogue between Bulgaria and the United States.