Kristian Vigenin held series of bilateral meetings in New York

On the first day of the General Debate of the 68th session of UN in New York, Foreign Minister Krisitan Vigenin participated in multilateral events of the world organization, as well as in a series of bilateral meetings with his counterparts.

Minister Vigenin held series of conversations with his counterparts, including the foreign ministers of Qatar, Tunisia, Palestine, Lebanon, Israel, Iran, Mongolia, and with the Secretary General of the Arab League. During the meetings they discussed issues of mutual interest, as well as those related to the participation in various international organizations and initiatives. One of the topics constantly present in the talks was the situation in Syria.

 “The crises and the efforts to strengthen peace and security in the Francophone countries” was the theme of the informal consultations of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Francophone community, with the participation of Minister Vigenin. Later he participated in the opening of the high-level meeting on the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals and other internationally agreed development goals related to people with disabilities.

At the meeting with the Foreign Minister of Qatar, Dr. Khalid bin Mohamed Al-Attiyah, Minister Vigenin declared the intention of our country to develop the relations with Qatar in a more pragmatic way. Qatar is eager and ready to cooperate with Bulgaria in areas such as tourism, foreign investments, food security and other areas of mutual interest, said Minister Al-Attiyah. Both sides agreed on the idea of ​​seeking a political solution to the crisis in Syria. Minister Vigenin said that the Assad government has lost its political legitimacy and urged to seek a compromise between the warring parties with respect to the future of Syria.

The topic of Syria was also covered in the conversation of Minister Vigenin with Israel’s Minister of Intelligence, International Relations and Strategic Affairs Dr. Yuval Steinitz. Minister Vigenin informed his counterpart about the actions taken by the Bulgarian government in view of the increasing number of refugees from Syria. Minister Steinitz shared his views on the peace process in the Middle East and expressed support for the initiatives proposed by the US Secretary of State John Kerry. Both sides agreed that nobody is insured against acts of terrorism. Vigenin informed his colleague on the future actions of the Bulgarian law enforcement authorities indicting the perpetrators of the Burgas airport attack.

This was also one of the topics of the conversation between Minister Vigenin and his Lebanese counterpart Adnan Mansour. During the meeting it became clear that Lebanon is ready to cooperate with Bulgaria on clarifying the details of the attack. The two ministers expressed willingness, in view of their capabilities, to contribute to the peace process in Syria, which includes convening a second conference in Geneva in the near future. Kristian Vigenin noted that the humanitarian dimensions of the Syrian crisis are already felt in Bulgaria after the arrival of more than 4,000 refugees. "This is something new for us, but we make all efforts to ensure normal conditions in the shelters," he said. Minister Vigenin received an invitation to visit Lebanon in the near future.

The meeting with the Secretary General of the Arab League Dr. Nabil El Araby was devoted to the major problems of the Middle East. They shared a common position on the basic steps for peace in Syria, including a ban and liquidation of chemical weapons, as well as the need to seek a lasting solution to the existing problems. During the meeting it became clear that Bulgaria and the League of Arab States expect to achieve concrete results for peace in the negotiations between Palestine and Israel, with the active support of the US and the EU.

During the 68th session of the UN Minister Kristian Vigenin talked with the Foreign Minister of Tunisia Othman Jerandi. Bulgaria is making active efforts to support the democratic process in the country as a sign of which is the opening of the Tunisian school of politics last year, Kristian Vigenin said. According to him, the two countries have the capacity to raise their economic and trade relations to a higher level. He briefed his counterpart on the government's actions regarding the situation in Syria and the increased flow of refugees into the country. In turn, Jerandi informed of the progress of the democratic process in Tunisia and expressed confidence in its irreversibility.

Minister Vigenin talked with Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki, with whom he discussed the bilateral issues raised during their meeting in Sofia this summer. Bulgaria is ready to assist in the training of Palestinian diplomats at the Diplomatic Institute to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as to assist in the establishment of such institute in Ramallah, Minister Vigenin said. According to him, the work on the creation of joint Bulgarian- Palestinian Cooperation Committee will be intensified. The two ministers also discussed the Middle East peace process, including the commitments of the US and EU.

At the bilateral meetings during the 68th session of the UN, Kristian Vigenin talked with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia Luvsanvandan Bold. The traditional friendship relations between the two countries are the basis of the decision of the Bulgarian government to resume the work of the Embassy in Ulan Bator, Vigenin said. The two Ministers reiterated their commitment to deepen bilateral cooperation, especially in economic terms, but also within the framework of the EU – Mongolia relations. They also discussed the possibilities of using the ASEM format as an additional tool for partnership between Asia and Europe, and between the two countries in particular. Minister Vigenin invited his Mongolian counterpart to visit Bulgaria.

Minister Vigenin also met with the newly appointed Foreign Minister of Iran Mohammad Zarif. Bulgarian Foreign Minister expressed hope that the new approach of openness demonstrated by Iran will create conditions for solving the issue of Iran’s nuclear program. The discussion focused also on the situation in Syria. Both sides agreed on the need to eradicate country’s chemical weapons. We call for a political solution to the Syrian crisis, Minister Vigenin said. They recognized the opportunities for developing bilateral cooperation in areas such as sports, education, culture and science.

Minister Vigenin, together with President Rosen Plevneliev and members of the Bulgarian delegation, met with representatives of the major Jewish organizations in the US.