Bulgarian President, US ambassador discuss prospects for partnership development

Bulgaria’s President Rumen Radev on May 14 held a meeting in the Presidency with the US Ambassador to Bulgaria Herro Mustafa.

Prospects for the development of the bilateral strategic partnership, promotion of US investments in the Bulgarian economy, modernization of the Bulgarian Armed Forces and cooperation in the energy sector were among the highlights of the meeting.

In the conditions of restructuring of the world economy due to the crisis caused by the coronavirus, Bulgaria has both the ambition and the opportunity to attract much larger investments from the United States, especially in the field of information technology, said President Radev. Our country has growing positions and skilled labour force in this area and can provide favourable conditions for investors, the head of state said.

Rumen Radev expressed the interest of Bulgaria to introduce more pragmatism in the regional initiative "Three Seas" for transport, energy and digital connectivity in Eastern Europe, as well as to join the Investment Fund, which will finance joint projects. The head of state also highlighted Bulgaria's readiness to host the presidential initiative in 2021.

Bilateral cooperation in the process of modernization of the Bulgarian Army was also the focus of the meeting. The energy diversification in Southeast Europe was discussed, as well as the prospects for the development of the Bulgarian energy sector.

The meeting also highlighted the active bilateral cooperation in the fight against the coronavirus. President Radev expressed gratitude to the United States for its significant contribution to the fight against COVID-19.

So far, the United States has provided Bulgaria with 6,000 coronavirus tests and will provide medical supplies worth $ 500,000, complete test equipment, and other support.

The American Chamber of Commerce in Bulgaria, the America for Bulgaria Foundation, the Bulgarian Donors' Forum and the US Embassy have jointly raised BGN 1 million as donations for Bulgarian organizations combating the coronavirus.