PM Denkov on GERB-UDF's coalition agreement proposal: A good start is that there is a document on the negotiating table

Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov said on March 5 that he had not yet familiarised himself with the coalition agreement proposed by GERB, but the fact that there is a document on the negotiating table is a good start.

"We had talks with Mariya Gabriel. As we have both always said - you will see the final result when everything is on the table - how we proceed, what is the draft cabinet we are proposing. Neither of us is willing to present their version of our discussion, because that will not lead to a positive outcome.

For us, it is key to define how to proceed with the reforms, so that we can be sure that the governance programme and the choice of the key persons who will determine life in Bulgaria in the coming years will be made in a way that will be convincing in the society and will set new standards for governance - justice system, anti-corruption commission, regulators.

It is good that there is a document on the table.This is a good start of real negotiations," Denkov said.

The prime minister made the comments after a meeting with Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, which was also attended by Deputy Prime Minister Mariya Gabriel.

Gabriel added that there was unanimity in the assessments of the ministers’ perfomance and said that both she and Nikolai Denkov would do their best to raise and discuss the issues that were on the agenda at the moment, so that they would not be asked again later.

"It was important to evaluate the ministries and what was done. It is important to say that we have unanimity. Bulgaria needs stability and to continue to defend its positions on the European international scene, but also to work for its citizens," she reminded.