Minister Svetlan Stoev received the Ambassador of Switzerland Muriel Berse Cohen
05 August 2021 News
Today, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Svetlan Stoev received the Ambassador of Switzerland Muriel Berce Cohen in connection with the end of her term. Among the highlights of the conversation were the excellent bilateral relations, the vaccination campaign against COVID-19 and the establishment and development of the Research Institute of Computational Sciences at the St. Kliment Ohridski Sofia University, with which to promote high technologies in our country.
In connection with the spread of the coronavirus, Minister Svetlan Stoev said that Bulgaria is willing and ready to provide vaccines to needy third countries. He singled out countries with a Bulgarian diaspora, including Moldova and Ukraine, as well as Bulgaria's neighboring countries in the Western Balkans. "Donations still depend on the will of those who receive them. We managed to donate vaccines to Bhutan, and we are in the process of making other donations", said Svetlan Stoev.
Our Foreign Minister stressed Bulgaria's interest in Switzerland's experience in creating favorable conditions for promoting innovation and high technology. "Building partnerships between the research institutes of the two countries and establishing direct business contacts, would have a positive impact on achieving more benefits for the Bulgarian economy", he said.
Our first diplomat thanked Switzerland and personally Ambassador Cohen for the efforts to establish and develop the Institute for Computer Research at the St. Kliment Ohridski Sofia University, which will be opened soon. This became possible after the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Education and Science, the St. Kliment Ohridski Sofia University, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, and the Federal Polytechnic Institute in Lausanne, at the end of February 2021 in order to establish a Bulgarian research center of high technology.
Minister Stoev expressed gratitude to Switzerland for the support on the way for Bulgaria's accession to the Schengen area and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. He also highlighted the personal contribution of Ambassador Muriel Berce Cohen to the intensification of political dialogue and cooperation between the two countries. "We appreciate Switzerland's assistance in important areas, such as security, stability, the environment and support for reforms under the Bulgarian-Swiss program", our Foreign Minister said.