Minister Zaharieva received the Secretary General of the OECD
28 April 2018 Events and DiscussionsThe Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ekaterina Zaharieva discussed with the Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Angel Guria the future membership of Bulgaria in the organisation and the efforts of our country to speed up the process.
“Bulgaria has been working for more than 10 years on its accession to the OECD, and we have been particularly active since our accession to the EU,” said Minister Zaharieva, emphasizing the real progress resulting from our country’s participation in a number of working bodies and its accession to legal instruments of the organisation.
The Minister reminded that our country has stated its expectations for un upcoming invitation for starting membership negotiations. “Moreover, as the rotating President of the Council of the EU, Bulgaria could not only help further the enlargement of the OECD, but also contribute to revitalizing the process,” she underlined.
Bulgaria’s future membership in the OECD will strengthen the role of our country as a factor in Southeast Europe and will give an additional incentive for the countries in the region to follow our example, the Minister added.
The guest informed the Minister about the state of the debate in the OECD on Bulgaria’s candidacy.
“I want all candidates to have equal opportunities,” he assured her.
Guria is in Bulgaria to participate in the informal meeting of the Council for Economic and Financial Affairs (Ecofin) of the European Union. Sofia is hosting Ecofin within the framework of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU.