Switzerland gives high marks to the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU
11 September 2018 News
‘There is a very high appreciation in Switzerland of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, especially concerning the Western Balkans,’ said Dr. Ignazio Cassis, the Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of the Swiss Confederation after meeting with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ekaterina Zaharieva in Sofia. Switzerland’s top diplomat underscored that his country has also been paying special attention to the Western Balkans region in recent years, and that it intends to continue that policy.
Ekaterina Zaharieva thanked her Swiss counterpart for the high marks given to the Bulgarian Presidency. ‘Both Bulgaria and Switzerland have each its own program for the development of the Western Balkans region. We know the Balkans well, we can complement each other, in order to channel those funds wisely and obtain the best possible results,’ said the Bulgarian Foreign Minister at the press conference after the meeting. For his part, Dr. Ignazio Cassis noted that the more active the cooperation between Bulgaria and Switzerland in the Western Balkans, the more secure the region will be in the future.
At their meeting today, the two Foreign Ministers also discussed the issue of the Swiss Contribution to Bulgaria. ‘Bulgaria expressed its appreciation for the Bulgarian-Swiss program within the framework of the Swiss Contribution. One of the best known programs is the program supporting vocational training, in which 1,200 students and 30 private companies will have the opportunity to draw from the Swiss experience and create a good, modern vocational training system,’ said Minister Zaharieva. ‘I am glad that for the next period the priorities are twofold: vocational training and migration,’ she added. Zaharieva underscored that Bulgaria will make every effort to make sure that the negotiations for an Institutional Agreement between the EU and Switzerland would be completed in the nearest future, with the best possible outcome for both sides.
Switzerland has many advantages in the field of vocational training that can be shared with our partners in Bulgaria, noted in turn Minister Cassis.
The two top diplomats also shared their satisfaction with the excellent, mutually beneficial bilateral relationship, and a readiness to work further for infusing it with new vigor and building upon its foundation. ‘Our trade links are very good, the volume of goods exchanged between us is on the upswing, but the unused potential remains much larger than that. We should bring together the captains of industry from both countries,’ said Deputy Prime Minister Zaharieva.
Her Swiss counterpart pointed out that his country is the eighth largest investor in Bulgaria. ‘We will make efforts to reinvigorate our relations on that sphere. We aim to join the top five,’ Dr. Casssis added.
Zaharieva also thanked her fellow diplomat for the support of his country for Bulgaria’s membership of Schengen and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. She also stressed the good cooperation between the two countries in international organizations.
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