Bulgaria will work to ensure an even closer partnership with Belarus in the sphere of economy, tourism and education. This is what Head of State Rumen Radev said at a meeting held at 2 Dondukov street with the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Belarus Vladimir Makei. In the President’s words, the expansion of partnership between Belarus and the EU provides excellent opportunities also for a follow-up comprehensive development of the cooperation with Bulgaria.

Vladimir Makei’s visit to Bulgaria is the first official visit of a foreign minister of Belarus since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. This, in Head of State Rumen Radev’s words, is a clear sign of the mutual willingness to bring about new dynamics in bilateral relations. “The potential of our relations is much greater than what we currently achieve – both in terms of trade and in terms of investment and economic cooperation,” the President emphasized.

Information technologies, electronics, agriculture and food production, tourism, education and the maintenance of defense technology were highlighted as promising spheres of mutual interest. In the period January-November 2019 the trade between the two countries increased by 6,9 percent compared to the same period in 2018 and is worth 73,8 million US dollars. In the period January-November 2019 the number of tourist visits of Byelorussians to our country was 73 790.

The President noted Bulgaria’s contribution within the EU to lifting a great part of the imposed sanctions on Belarus. In Rumen Radev’s words, relieving the visa regime between the EU and Belarus will contribute both to the development of tourism and to the economic contacts and the education exchange. In the President’s opinion, given the high-quality education Bulgarian universities offer, and the best price-quality ratio in Southeastern Europe, Bulgaria is attractive for thousands of foreign students.

It was also emphasized at the meeting that Bulgaria and Belarus share a cultural and spiritual closeness and this is a solid basis for a follow-up development of the friendly bilateral relations.