Georgia and Bulgaria strengthen ties
By Tea Mariamidze
Wednesday, December 9
Georgia’s Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili was hosted by his Bulgarian counterpart Boyko Borrisov at Bulgaria's Council of Ministers on December 7.
Successful collaborations between Georgia and Bulgarian in various fields and the existing relations between the two countries were the main topics of the private meeting between the Prime Ministers.
The two sides stressed the importance of cooperation in the transport and trade sectors and further development of economic cooperation between the countries. In this context, it was noted that the development of economic ties would be deepened after the economic commission meeting to be held in January 2016.
Garibashvili and the Bulgarian PM signed a memorandum of understanding. Another memorandum was signed between the Ministries of Agriculture of the two countries, according to which the countries will cooperate more closely in the field of agriculture.
“We value the strong support of Bulgaria for Georgia's European and Euro-Atlantic integration. European integration remains a cornerstone of Georgia's foreign and domestic policy. We also discussed the visa liberalization action plan, which has already been completed by our side, and we very much hope that the European Commission will give us their final approval. In this process, we enjoy strong support from Bulgaria, and I want to thank the Prime Minister for his strong support,” Irakli Garibashvili stated at the joint press conference after the meeting.
The Georgian PM also spoke about the Silk Road initiative and ways to actively engage Georgia and Bulgaria.
“We also spoke about other strategic issues and ways to increase Georgia's role in this corridor, and I once again underlined to the Bulgarian PM that Georgia was, and will always remain, Bulgaria's reliable partner. We are grateful for Bulgaria's engagement in the process of implementation of the elements of the Substantial Package which we received at the Wales Summit,” stated Garibashvili.
"The New Silk Road initiative is very important and Georgia and Bulgaria can be the leaders in this field, which could bring a lot of benefit to our countries. This provides an opportunity to Georgia and Bulgaria to become energy transit hubs, which will have a very positive impact on our economies because the natural gas price will be reduced,” said Boyko Borissov.
Bilateral trade and economic cooperation between Georgia and Bulgaria were discussed at the meeting of PM Irakli Garibashvili and the President of Bulgaria, Rosen Plevneliev.
Georgian PM thanked Plevneliev for his involvement and support for Georgia’s implementation of the NATO substantial package.
In the frames of his visit, Irakli Garibashvili paid tribute to the memorial of the Unknown Soldier. The two countries' national anthems were performed at the ceremony.
At the end of his visit, the Georgian PM and his delegation were hosted by the Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria, Tsetska Tsacheva, at an official dinner.
