Members of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH PA) spoke with the President of the Republic of Bulgaria

 
Relations between the two friendly countries of BiH and Bulgaria should be strengthened by further ties, especially in the economic field. To achieve this, it is necessary to talk as soon as possible about inter-connecting and concrete projects, was the conclusion of a meeting of members of the BiH PA with the President of the Republic of Bulgaria, Rosen Plevneliev, who is on an official visit to our country.

At this meeting, the BiH PA was represented by the Deputy Chair of the House of Peoples, Safet Softić, the Chair of the SDS Caucus, Aleksandra Pandurević, the Chair of the Caucus of Croatian Delegates of the House of Peoples, Lilja Zovko, as well as the Chair of the SDA Caucus, Asim Sarajlić. Discussions centred on Bulgaria's experiences of the path to the European Union, the difficulties they faced and those reform results felt by Bulgarian citizens, especially after large investments in Bulgaria.

During the meeting, BiH PA members pointed out that Bulgaria is a very important bridge between BiH and those markets where BiH can sell its products. They also discussed concrete possibilities, which the two countries are negotiating, for a land route through Bulgaria to Turkey for Bosnian products to be marketed in Turkey; particularly milk and milk products.

The President of Bulgaria, Rosen Plevneliev, said that Bulgaria, as a friend of our country, is ready to generously impart all of their experience and knowledge to facilitate the path of BiH towards the EU. Bulgaria's strategic goal is that all Balkan countries become EU members, as this will contribute to stability in the region, which will lead to increased investment and a better standard of living for all citizens. According to President Plevneliev, Bulgaria has made ​​maximum use of European funding and it is this experience of fund management and planning that is useful for BiH. Further, connecting BiH and then the whole Balkans with good roads and high speed trains is only the beginning of the process of making this region successful and ripe for even greater investment. President Plevneliev expressed his pleasure that Bulgaria was the first country in the world to recognize the independence of BiH, as well as the fact that that this is his first visit as a Head of State, an EU Member State, since the activation of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement.

At the meeting, BiH PA members thanked our Bulgarian friends for all the assistance they have given our country, especially their financial support for reconstruction following last year's floods.

As a desirable outcome of increased co-operation, relations between the leaderships of the Parliaments, working bodies and friendship groups will be intensified, which will contribute to better overall relations between the two friendly countries. (End)