Bulgaria’s Prime Minister met with Foreign Affairs Minister of Saudi Arabia

Bulgaria’s Prime Minister Boyko Borissov met with His Highness Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the press office of the Council of Ministers said on January 29.

"We value our relations with Bulgaria, for us the country is a very important partner within the European Union," said the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Prime Minister Borissov and His Highness Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud paid special attention to good energy co-operation between the two countries.Borissov expressed his satisfaction with the participation of the Consortium Arcade Association in the construction activities for the expansion of the gas transmission infrastructure of Bulgartransgaz EAD from the Bulgarian-Turkish border to the Bulgarian-Serbian border.

During the meeting, the two discussed deepening of the established political dialogue and good cooperation in the area of economy and investment, security, counter-terrorism, high-tech industries, energy, agriculture and tourism.

"Saudi Arabia is a very important partner for Bulgaria," Prime Minister Borissov stressed. He praised the role and influence of the Kingdom at regional and global levels and noted the willingness of Bulgaria to develop mutually beneficial relations in areas of strategic importance for both countries.

"Bulgaria supports the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on the priorities of its G20 presidency programme this year," Bulgarian PM said. He added that the two countries share similar views and positions on a number of international issues. "In this context, we are interested in developing cooperation in areas of common interest because of the geopolitical importance and interconnectedness of our regions," PM Borissov added.

He pointed out that the functioning embassy of Bulgaria in Riyadh is already an indicative the strong will to raise the level of relations between the two countries. Its work has positive results and creates additional conditions for significantly facilitating bilateral dialogue and trade and economic cooperation.

Your visit is also a symbolic sign to the Saudi business for further fruitful partnership in a number of sectors, PM Borissov addressed the Foreign Minister of the Kingdom. Evidence of progress in relations is a 49% increase in bilateral trade in January-October 2019 compared to the same period in 2018, reaching $ 93.3 million. Good opportunities for increasing Bulgarian exports to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia were outlined.

During the meeting, Prime Minister Borissov invited Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al-Saud to visit Bulgaria in order to further discuss ways to intensify bilateral cooperation.