Medvedev and Borissov opened a Bulgarian-Russian business forum on tourism

The visit of Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev to Bulgaria continues on 5^th of March.

Enhanced security measures are in place in Sofia. Streets and boulevards will be gradually closed during the passage of the Russian delegation.

The Bulgarian-Russian business forum is dedicated to tourism, which is one of the areas where the two countries have excellent cooperation.

On the first day of Medvedev’s visit to Bulgaria, him and PM Borisov discussed the two main topics - the construction of Belene Nuclear Power Plant and the construction of the Bulgarian section of "Turkish Stream" and the possible participation of Russia in the gas hub "Balkan".

According to Bulgaria, Belene NPP needs to be built - because, as Borissov said, in nearly 10-12 years, Kozloduy NPP will stop operating as another extension of the plant will expire at that time, and Bulgaria will need a new plant.

Bulgaria’s Ministry of Energy has even calculated that the construction of Belene NPP would bring the country nearly 7 billion BGN in revenues in the period 2020-2039.

The second topic was the construction of the Bulgarian section of Turkish Stream. The Head of Gazprom Alexei Miller on 4^th of March told Russian media that Gazprom will not participate in the construction of the Balkan gas hub and that no supplies were being prepared for it.

The Bulgarian Ministry of Energy has commented for BNT newscast that they know about this Russian decision, but will continue to build the project - a gas pipeline from Provadiya to the Turkish border, which is expected to be part of the future "Turkish Stream ".

With regard to tourism, the two countries are now expected to agree on increased cooperation. Last year, nearly 500,000 Russian tourists visited Bulgaria, which is 8% drop compared to 2017.