The US Secretary of State congratulated the new Bulgarian Foreign Minister, Mariya Gabriel, on her appointment to the new post and praised the Euro-Atlantic orientations of the recently installed government.
In a telephone conversation with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mariya Gabriel, the authority highlighted the significance of the 120th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the United States and Bulgaria, with Gabriel also sharing the main priorities of this government, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
According to a press release from the Bulgarian Council of Ministers, Gabriel mentioned during the phone call how important it is for the country to maintain an active role in the EU and NATO.
Relations with the United States represent an opportunity to improve cooperation between the two countries, particularly in areas of mutual interest, with Bulgaria’s accession to the US visa waiver program being a key priority for both countries. .
“Deepening cooperation with Washington, both bilaterally and within NATO, is a priority of Bulgaria’s foreign policy. Deputy Prime Minister Mariya Gabriel thanked Secretary of State Anthony Blinken for setting the date for the second session of the Bulgaria-US strategic dialogue. » reads the press release.
The two parties will meet on September 25 in Washington with the Bulgarian delegation led by Mariya Gabriel. The Deputy Prime Minister hopes that the meeting will define specific measures to strengthen cooperation on topics of common interest, including security and defense, energy diversification, innovation and the fight against disinformation.
The Bulgarian government pledged to prioritize the country’s accession to the Schengen area by the end of the year, in addition to joining the eurozone by 2025.
The Bulgarian government’s top five priorities include controlling inflation, implementing reforms and projects of the National Recovery and Sustainability Plan, and improving the efficiency and transparency of municipal project management .
Bulgaria is strongly recommended to strengthen its border control by creating an efficient infrastructure. Furthermore, the country should cooperate closely with European institutions to fulfill all the conditions required to join the Eurozone from January 1, 2025, which is a long-standing goal of the government.
These intentions were also confirmed by the new Bulgarian Prime Minister Nickolay Denkov, who stressed that his cabinet was determined to work so that Bulgaria’s accession to the Schengen area could be completed in 2022. The Bulgarian Prime Minister also stressed that he would start a “campaign against disinformation around Bulgaria’s adoption of the euro”.
Bulgaria’s accession to the Schengen zone was delayed after being discussed in December last year due to Austria worries about illegal migrantswho opposed the accession of this Balkan country to Schengen.
