Bulgaria and Palestine Discuss the Potential for Development of Bilateral Relations
26 October 2020 News
The development of Bulgarian-Palestinian cooperation was the focus of the bilateral political consultations that took place on October 26. Deputy Minister Petko Doykov led the consultations for Bulgaria, and on Palestinian side they were presided by the Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of Palestine Amal Jadou.
The active political dialogue over the recent years is a favourable prerequisite for the development of ties between the two states in a number of spheres, the political consultations being an important step in this direction, said Deputy Minister Doykov during the discussion which was held virtually.
Deputy Minister Doykov showcased education and security as examples of good cooperation. He noted the contribution of Palestinians (in excess of 5,000) who graduated from higher education establishments in Bulgaria for furthering the bilateral relations. The draft Medium-term Program for Development Assistance and Humanitarian Aid 2020-2024 of Bulgaria provides for possibilities for scholarships for international students studying in Bulgarian universities, students from Palestine included.
Petko Doykov underscored the significant potential for development of cooperation in trade and economy which should be realised, adding that signing of an agreement between the chambers of commerce of the two countries would boost trade flows between Bulgaria and Palestine. There is also potential in agricultural and tourism.
Bulgaria will continue supporting the Palestinian authorities for achieving effective progress in building democratic Palestinian institutions, Deputy Minister Doykov pointed out. He highlighted that Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ekaterina Zaharieva took part in the Annual Conference of United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in June 2020, this being a clear expression of our strong support. In 2020, Bulgaria contributed EUR 70,000 for strategic readiness and response to COVID-19, the Deputy Minister added.
The scope of discussions included the cooperation in the framework of international organisations, the Middle East Peace Process, the European perspective of the countries of the Western Balkans.
„Bulgaria duly recognises the importance of its relations with Palestine, in the context of bilateralism and the perspective of the Middle East Peace Process alike,“ deputy Minister Doykov noted. „We uphold our position of many years that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict can be resolved in a just and lasting way solely through negotiations. Preserving the perspective of two-state solution for us is paramount,“ he added.