Minister Ivan Kondov received two French senators at the Foreign Ministry
18 September 2024 News
On 17 September 2024, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivan Kondov received at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Mr. Loïc Hervé, Deputy President of the Senate of the French Republic and President of the France-Bulgaria Friendship Group and Mr. Olivier Caddick, Senator representing the French living abroad. The meeting was also attended by H.E. Joël Meyer, Ambassador of the French Republic in Bulgaria.
The interlocutors expressed satisfaction with the excellent bilateral relations based on mutual trust and understanding and congratulated each other on the celebration in 2024 of the 145th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Bulgaria and France.
Minister Kondov stressed that France is our strategic partner and ally with whom we wish to continue the active dialogue and cooperation at all levels, both bilaterally and within the EU and NATO. High appreciation was given to France's continued support for Bulgaria's full membership in the Schengen area and confidence was expressed for French support for the implementation of Bulgaria's main priorities for membership in the Eurozone and the OECD.
Minister Ivan Kondov expressed special gratitude to France for the key role it played during its presidency of the Council of the EU in 2022 in developing the compromise that allowed the adoption of the negotiating framework for the Republic of North Macedonia.
The joint work on updating the 2008 Strategic Partnership Roadmap was welcomed, taking into account the close positions of Bulgaria and France on a number of issues, including on the EU agenda.
The interlocutors shared the understanding that the Consulate General of Bulgaria in the French Republic in Lyon, which will be operational from September 2024, will contribute to deepening the cooperation between our two countries, including at the local level.
It was underlined that the intensification of the parliamentary partnership and the dialogue between the Bulgarian and the French parliaments at all levels could contribute to a better understanding of the national positions and better coordination to protect our common interests.
Issues related to the Bulgarian national minority in Ukraine in the context of the war with Russia, Bulgaria's consistent efforts to protect the external borders of the European Union and coordination with FRONTEX, the importance of strategic communication and the fight against disinformation and hybrid threats from third countries were also discussed.
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