Bilateral meetings of Minister Daniel Mitov in New York
24 September 2014 News
On 23 September, Minister Daniel Mitov held bilateral meetings with the Foreign Ministers of Ukraine and Malaysia within the framework of the 69th regular session of the UN General Assembly in New York.
Minister Mitov and his Ukrainian counterpart Pavlo Klimkin discussed the situation in Eastern Ukraine, the energy security in Central and Eastern Europe, the prospects for European development and the possible Bulgarian support for Ukraine.
Minister Klimkin presented to his Bulgarian counterpart the current developments of the conflict in Eastern Ukraine, saying that the ceasefire signed between the Ukrainian army and the separatists is being observed. It is possible to reach an agreement with Russia on the de-escalation of the conflict and on post-conflict settlement of relations with Ukraine, even though there is no guarantee that it will be respected, he said. According to Klimkin, as a result of the conflict Ukraine has so far suffered losses of around 20 per cent of its GDP.
Bulgarian Foreign Minister said that securing gas supplies to Bulgaria is crucial and voiced concern over possible negative consequences of the Ukrainian conflict. For his part, Minister Klimkin said that the Ukrainian government is not pessimistic about gas supplies during the coming winter because the country has sufficient reserves. According to him, there will be no problem for gas transit to third countries, including Bulgaria, unless Russia lowers the pressure in the pipeline. Ukrainian Minister argued that Europe, including Ukraine, needs a new common energy and infrastructure policy, which is directly related to the security and stability of the EU Member States.
During the conversation with the Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman, Minister Daniel Mitov discussed bilateral consular cooperation, deepening of economic relations and the partnership opportunities within the EU-ASEAN dialogue, including with regard to the forthcoming Malaysian Chairmanship of ASEAN in 2015. The traditional partnership within the UN was also on the agenda of the talks and assurances were exchanged of reciprocal support for the two countries' bids for responsible positions and offices in the organization.
Minister Daniel Mitov raised the question about the trial of Bulgarian nationals Ivan Kostov and Georgi Bakalov , who were sentenced to death in the first instance for trafficking 5.6 kgs of drugs. He expressed hope that progress will be made on the exchanged drafts of treaties concerning legal assistance in criminal matters. Minister Aman assured his counterpart that the Court of Appeal of Malaysia, which is examining the appeal of the sentences, will ensure a just and fair trial.