Bulgaria's Foreign Minister Georg Georgiev met with his Slovak counterpart

"Slovakia is a partner in the EU and NATO ally, we maintain active and fruitful bilateral and multilateral cooperation. The friendly relations between our two countries are based on deep historical and cultural ties between our people," Foreign Minister, Georg Georgiev, said on March 24 after his meeting with his Slovak counterpart Juraj Blanár, who arrived in Sofia today on a one-day working visit.

The two ministers and their delegations held discussions on a wide range of issues of bilateral interest, such as energy, regional security, and cooperation, as well as topics from the challenging international agenda, including the common defence of Europe and current global conflicts—issues that require joint efforts and intensive cooperation.

Minister Georgiev discussed with his guest the opportunities for deepening the traditionally good economic relations with the Slovak Republic in areas such as innovation, technology, and industrialization. The Bulgarian Foreign Minister presented the favorable conditions for investment and joint projects that Bulgaria offers.

The two delegations also discussed efforts to protect the EU’s external borders and combat illegal migration. "Bulgaria is a country that places top priority on combating illegal migration and protecting both its own and Europe’s borders," said the Bulgarian Foreign Minister, thanking his Slovak counterpart for Slovakia’s support for Bulgaria’s accession to the Schengen Area and and for the protection of the Bulgarian border. Slovak police officers participate annually in Frontex operations on Bulgarian territory.

The two ministers also discussed the progress in Bulgaria’s accession to the eurozone and Slovakia's continued support for Bulgaria's candidacy to join the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). An additional focus of the discussion was energy security in Europe and opportunities for more effective cooperation between Bulgaria and Slovakia in this context. The two delegations discussed energy supplies and the opportunities offered by Bulgaria's gas transmission network, as well as investments in energy resource transportation.

Minister Georgiev and Minister Blanár also discussed the long-standing traditions and intensive exchange between Bulgaria and Slovakia in the fields of culture, education, and science. "We are proud of the Bulgarian Secondary School 'Hristo Botev' in Bratislava, which has over 75 years of history. Bulgarian studies in Slovakia have long-established traditions, and this year marks the 100th anniversary of this field," Georgiev said after the meeting.

During the meeting, the two top diplomats also reviewed the dynamically evolving security and defence situation and agreed on the view that the European Union should continue to work closely with the U.S. and other like-minded allies to promote security and stability, as well as invest in its own security, as it possesses the resources, capabilities, and technologies necessary to become equivalently strong and capable of guaranteeing not only the security of Ukraine but also its own.