Bulgaria and Azerbaijan are not only strategic partners, but also share truly friendly relations, which are exemplified by the active top-level political dialogue and joint projects in a number of areas. This is what President Rumen Radev said at a meeting with the Speaker of the Milli Majlis of the Azerbaijan Republic, Prof Sahiba Gafarova, who is on an official visit to our country.

The head of state said that Azerbaijan is a reliable partner and is of key importance for the energy diversification not only of Bulgaria but also of the European Union. The interconnector between Bulgaria and Greece, as well as the Solidarity Ring project, have contributed to increasing the energy security of our region, as they enable the transmission of additional quantities of Azeri gas. At the invitation of Rumen Radev, President Ilham Aliyev visited this country twice in just six months - for the commissioning of the ICGB gas link and for the signing of a memorandum of cooperation between the gas transmission operators of Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and the state oil and gas company of Azerbaijan. Radev also noted the importance this country attaches to the opening of an office of the SOKAR company in Sofia.

The two concurred that there is potential for deepening cooperation in the spheres of economy, high technologies, the automotive industry, education and culture. President Radev said that the resumption of the direct air route between Baku and Sofia would contribute to the expansion of contacts between the businesses and citizens of Bulgaria and Azerbaijan.