BULGARIA’S PRESIDENT ROUMEN RADEV MET WITH EUROPEAN COUNCIL PRESIDENT DONALD TUSK

The European Council President Donald Tusk is on a visit to Bulgari at the invitation of Bulgaria’s President Roumen Radev.

President Radev said that the meeting with the European Council President Donald Tusk on 4th of April was a full-fledged, important discussion particularly in terms of security of the EU and especially the security of the Balkans.

They have united around the opinion the EU should have a common position and common policy towards Turkey.

The two discussed the role of Bulgaria for the economic development of the region to ensure energy independence.

"And in this respect, it is really time to again review the possibility Bulgaria to become energy independent supplier of gas and its transit to the Western Balkans and other members of the EU," Radev said. Radev and Tusk discussed the upcoming talks with "Gazprom", at which, according to Radev, we must have a clear, strong, united European position.

President Radev thanked Donald Tusk for accepting the invitation to visit Sofia.

"This is great recognition for Bulgaria and its stable pro-European policy. I thank Mr. Tusk for his personal commitment regarding Bulgaria’s initiative for continuing the cohesion policy in the next programming period of the Union. Thanks to his support, that cohesion policy was incorporated sustainably in the priorities of the Rome declaration and it will ensure sustainable development of the Union," Radev said.

He specified that they held meaningful and important discussions particularly in terms of security of the EU and especially the security of the Balkans.

"In this complicated geopolitical situation, Bulgaria plays an important role because the security of the European citizens starts from the security of the Bulgarian borders," Radev added.