Hungarian President Katalin Novak is on official visit in Bulgaria

Head of State Rumen Radev welcomed Hungarian President Katalin Novák, who is on an official visit to Sofia on February 2. Bilateral relations were the focus of the meeting.

President Radev has said that trade between Bulgaria and Hungary is constantly growing and Hungary is an important and priority partner in the economic sphere.

He also thanked for the financial support for the preservation of the language and historical memory of the Bulgarians in Hungary. He gave the example of a neighbouring country without specifying which one it was. Radev pointed out that Hungary's example is an example of European behaviour.

Radev and Novak also commented on Bulgaria's membership in Schengen. According to the Hungarian President, this should happen as soon as possible and Bulgaria and Romania should be part of the Schengen area.

Rumen Radev, President of Bulgaria. This is an important priority for our country. We are working intensively at all levels of diplomacy. We have fulfilled all the criteria, and we have done so for a long time, and I believe that with the support of Hungary and all our EU partners and the European institutions, we will be able to join the Schengen area this year.

Katalin Novak, President of Hungary: "I am grateful to be in Bulgaria because for us it is not just an ally , it is a friendly country. This is our first meeting, but we see how many issues we have in common, not only as colleagues, but also as problems of the people who live in our countries. For example, we never thought that we would face war and we still do not see the way to peace.