Meetings of Minister Mitov on the second day of his US visit
24 July 2016 News
On the second day of his working visit to Washington, Minister Daniel Mitov held meetings with Amos Hochstein, Special Envoy and Coordinator for International Energy Affairs at the US State Department, and Ambassador Daniel Fried, the State Department's Coordinator for Sanctions Policy. Bulgarian Foreign Minister also conferred with Heather A. Conley, Senior Vice President for Europe, Eurasia, and the Arctic; and Director, Europe Program, at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and with Thomas Carothers, Vice President for Studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Minister Mitov participated in an Atlantic Council roundtable on strengthening security in the Black Sea Region after the Warsaw Summit.
The talks between Daniel Mitov and Amos Hochstein focused on the implementation of priority energy projects for Bulgaria and the region, with a special emphasis on the gas interconnector with Greece and the LNG terminal near Alexandroupolis. They stressed the need to step up the implementation of the two projects in view of their key importance to diversified energy supplies and competitive market prices.
Minister Mitov and the Special Envoy and Coordinator for International Energy Affairs at the US State Department Daniel Fried discussed US-EU cooperation in sanctions policy and possible ways to make it more effective. Developments in Ukraine, the implementation of the Minsk agreements, the risks and threats posed by the changed security environment in Europe, the Middle East conflicts, migration and terrorism topped the agenda of the meeting.
Bulgarian Foreign Minister held meeting with Heather Conley, discussing the strengthening of the civil societies in the countries of South Eastern Europe, the role of the media, the situation in Ukraine, the results of the NATO Warsaw Summit, and security in the Balkans and the Black Sea Region.
Minister Mitov and Thomas Carothers of the Carnegie Endowment discussed aspects of security in South Eastern Europe.
Daniel Mitov participated in an Atlantic Council roundtable on strengthening security in the Black Sea Region after the Warsaw Summit. The roundtable brought together Gen. Philip Breedlove, former Supreme Allied Commander Europe and Commander of US European Command; Michael Carpenter, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence with responsibility for Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia; former US Ambassador to Bulgaria Marcie Ries; Atlantic Council Executive Vice President Damon Wilson; and Ian Brzezinski of the Atlantic Council's Strategic Advisors Group, among others.
Speaking at the roundtable, Daniel Mitov welcomed the political consensus reached at the Warsaw Summit and stressed that is now time to deliver the commitments. The important steps include strengthening capabilities and security along the whole of NATO's Eastern flank, including the Black Sea Region. “”Bulgaria supports regional cooperation in the Black Sea Region intended to boost security under NATO auspices and command,” Minister Mitov said. It was noted that the capabilities of the ground, naval and air forces need to be strengthened. In this context, Daniel Mitov talked about the Bulgarian government's plans for Air Force modernization.
More photos
