Daniel Mitov: Bulgaria should become a prosperous country
17 February 2015 News
Bulgaria has made serious and correct choice to be part of a community that is built on values that brought prosperity to both Europe and to our partners across the Atlantic. Bulgaria should become a prosperous country. Our belonging to the EU and NATO is not just a hollow phrase. Democracy, freedom of speech, human rights are not just words, but values for which we should fight every day, said Minister Daniel Mitov at a press conference today, where he presented the main highlights of the activities of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from the beginning of his mandate, as well as the government's foreign policy priorities.
Our efforts during the first 100 days in office were focused on reaffirming Bulgaria’s strategic choice in terms of foreign policy orientation and the international commitments aimed towards establishing our country as a constructive and loyal partner in the EU and NATO in the context of the significantly altered security situation in the region and the world as a whole, Minister Mitov said.
He emphasized that as a result of the active efforts to strengthen the Euro-Atlantic ties, three key visits to Bulgaria took place within one month: the visits of US Secretary of State John Kerry, of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and of British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond. There were also two important visits in recent days - the Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurtz and the Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin.
The visit of Prime Minister Boyko Borisov to Germany, as well as the visit of the Foreign Minister to Berlin were other key foreign policy events, in the context of reaffirming the trust and support of our Euro-Atlantic partners. According to Minister Mitov, the most important result of intensifying the bilateral dialogue was the officially announced decision of the Government of Germany for restoration of the government guarantees for German exporters and investors in Bulgaria.
As an active part of the international democratic community, Bulgaria also supports the efforts to counter terrorism in all its forms. Minister Mitov participated in the meeting of the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL, which was held on 3 December at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, and focused on the further steps of the coalition. Mitov added that the active work on criminalization of "foreign fighters" in cooperation with the relevant state institutions is underway.
During the first 100 days in office, we started preparing the Bulgarian SEECP rotating Presidency for the period July 2015 - June 2016. This is an opportunity for our country to participate in setting up the agenda of the region in an important time for Europe, the Foreign Minister said.
In the past three months the diplomatic service is very active also in protecting the rights and interests of Bulgarian citizens abroad. Minister Mitov focused on the successful development of the case of the six Bulgarian nationals - crew and employees of the company "Heli Air" who were taken captive by the military group „Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North“ in the Republic of Sudan. He thanked all diplomatic missions abroad and the colleagues here in Sofia, who are committed to the task of protecting the rights, interests and life of Bulgarian citizens abroad not only in this particular case.
Not surprisingly, three of the priorities in the government's program on foreign policy are focused precisely on this issue – to enact a new law on consular protection, electronic consular services and response system in case of disasters and emergencies, promoting the development of effective cultural and educational policies for Bulgarians and historical Bulgarian communities abroad and others.
Foreign Minister Mitov also discussed the other foreign policy priorities and referred to the national interests, which they are based on, as well as the specific measures for the implementation of relevant policies.
More photos
