Marin Raykov: Bulgaria and Israel share many common interests in all areas
15 April 2013 News
“Bulgaria and Israel share many common interests in all areas,” Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Marin Raykov said at a meeting today with the Ambassador of the State of Israel, Shaul Kamisa-Raz.
The Bulgarian Prime Minister highlighted the historical roots of the strong and durable relations between Bulgaria and Israel. “Deeply connecting us is one of the most important facts of our history – the rescue of Bulgarian Jews during World War 2. The Bulgarian people showed everyone else that the genocide against the Jewish people was not inevitable and that rescue was achievable,” Marin Raykov said.
He focused on the development of economic relations between the two countries, the attraction to Bulgaria of Israeli investments in industry and technology, the increasing number of Israeli tourists, co-operation in agriculture and food production, health care and other topics of common interest. “Bulgaria is building a modern tech park and we will propose to leading Israeli companies in the high-tech sector to invest in this park,” Marin Raykov said.
Ambassador Kamisa-Raz highlighted the very good dialogue with the Bulgarian institutions, as well as the development of relations between the two countries. He emphasised the high professionalism and willingness to work jointly with the ministers of the caretaker government. Ambassador Kamisa-Raz also pointed to the great potential for the development of co-operation in the energy sector and possibilities for Israeli investment and experience in this field.
They discussed the situation in the Middle East and particularly in Syria.
“We are very concerned about what is happening in Syria and the scale of the humanitarian disaster in the country,” the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister said. He emphasised that Bulgaria’s position was to achieve lasting peace and stability in the entire region.
“Bulgaria is a friend of the Arab peoples and the Israeli people and we want to see people in that region living in peace and security,” Marin Raykov said.
“We are continuing the investigation into the terrorist attack in Bourgas and will provide all the evidence to our partners and allies in the EU and NATO,” the Bulgarian Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs said.