Minister Mitov met with the newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the US to Bulgaria H.E. Eric Rubin
07 March 2016 News
Foreign Minister Daniel Mitov met today at the MFA with the newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the US to Bulgaria H.E. Eric Rubin. The talks focused on the current geostrategic challenges and ways to tackle them, the bilateral relations and energy projects of mutual interest.
The two diplomats welcomed the state of bilateral cooperation and expressed willingness to deepen and develop the strategic partnership. "The active dialogue between Bulgaria and the US is reflected in the work of the five joint working groups in the fields of security and defense, energy security and diversification, rule of law, cultural and educational exchange to strengthen people to people ties, fight against terrorism," said Minister Mitov. They welcomed the significant progress achieved in these areas and expressed support for continuing the strategic dialogue in the future.
The head of the Bulgarian diplomacy and the US ambassador discussed the migration crisis and shared the view that tackling the refugee flow from the Middle East and Africa is a crucial task. "We need clear and coordinated actions at bilateral, multilateral and EU level to tackle the crisis," the Foreign Minister said, emphasizing the strict measures that should be implemented to stop the trafficking, and to repatriate people who are not entitled to stay in the EU. The better protection of the EU external borders and the security in outlying areas are of a priority importance and the US is ready to provide assistance in order to achieve better results in that direction, said Ambassador Rubin.
They discussed also projects of mutual interest in the energy sector, as well as the diversification of gas supplies. Minister Mitov said that the diversification of energy sources and the development of energy markets are crucial for the implementation of the concept of a gas transit hub in Bulgaria. For his part, Ambassador Rubin welcomed the recent launch of the Lozenets compressor station, which is part of the route of the transit pipeline passing through the Bulgarian territory to Turkey, Greece and the Republic of Macedonia.
Minister Mitov and Ambassador Rubin reaffirmed the security and defense cooperation as an important element in addressing common challenges at regional and global level.
During the conversation they discussed the media environment and the need for more transparency, as well as the forthcoming exchange of visits at high and the highest levels.
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