Prime Minister Borissov met with the British Ambassador to Bulgaria Emma Hopkins

Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Boyko Borissov met with the Ambassador of Great Britain to Bulgaria, Emma Hopkins, on 15^th of October. The two discussed the negotiations for Brexit and the rights of Bulgarian citizens in the UK in the context of recent developments yesterday (British and EU negotiators called a pause in their talks on a Brexit deal). The two have confirmed that they will make efforts to guarantee the rights of Bulgarian and English citizens in both countries and that cooperation between the security services will continue, the Government press office said.

At the meeting, Prime Minister Borissov said that British citizens are well accepted and will continue to be welcomed in Bulgaria after Brexit.

H. E. Emma Hopkins, UK Ambassador: I spoke with the Prime Minister about Brexit, about the important meeting in Brussels on Wednesday, and I also provided him with additional information about our investigation into the Scripal case in London and the potential hacker attack on the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in The Hague.

Hopkins said she was still optimistic about the successful end of the EU negotiations on Brexit. Borisсov and Hopkins recogniсed the excellent cooperation between Bulgaria and the United Kingdom in the аrea of security and confirmed that the Bulgarian and British services will continue to work together in the fight against terrorism, smuggling, illegal migration, criminal investigations and corruption.

Hopkins and Borissov also discussed the status of the Bulgarians living in the UK and the British living in Bulgaria after Brexit.

H. E. Emma Hopkins: It is very important for them to understand that whatever happens to Brexit, we will do our utmost to make sure that they will continue to have a normal life.

It did not become clear whether the two talked about Britain's initiative - the EU to impose two new packages of sanctions against countries using chemical weapons and cyber attacks.