Kristian Vigenin met with his counterparts from Asia, Africa and Europe
26 September 2013 News
Kristian Vigenin held bilateral meetings with Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Korea, Indonesia, Cuba, Azerbaijan, Angola, Serbia and Belarus, participating in the 68th session of the UN General Assembly.
During the meeting of Minister Vigenin with his Korean counterpart, Yun Byung-se, the two confirmed the traditionally good relations and discussed the possibilities for their further development in the fields of investment, trade, tourism and others. Minister Vigenin highly appreciated the contribution of Korea as a non-permanent member of the Security Council. He thanked for the support of the candidacy of Irina Bokova for her re-election as Director-General of UNESCO. Minister Vigenin noted the country's efforts to achieve lasting peace and security on the Korean Peninsula.
During his meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia Marty M. Natalegawa, Kristian Vigenin made an assessment of the bilateral relations and both sides expressed their willingness to work for their intensification. Minister Vigenin stressed that Bulgaria considers Indonesia as a major country in Southeast Asia and the Embassy in Jakarta – as a very important element of the diplomatic system of the country. They also discussed issues related to the Syrian crisis, as well as topics on the UN agenda. They emphasized on the formulation of objectives of sustainable development. The two ministers exchanged invitations for visits to Sofia and Jakarta.
In his conversation with Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, Minister Vigenin confirmed Bulgaria's desire to develop the relations between the two countries and to resume the political dialogue, including through conducting political consultations between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs. The Bulgarian side suggested for both sides to seek options for settling the Cuban debt to Bulgaria. During the conversation, Minister Vigenin was invited to visit Havana.
Minister Vigenin also met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov. Vigenin gave a positive assessment of the current membership of Azerbaijan in the UN Security Council. Minister Mammadyarovexpressed interest in the prospects of the "Eastern Partnership" initiative in relation to the forthcoming summit in November in Vilnius. During the meeting, the Bulgarian Minister stressed that the economic relations between the two countries should not be limited to the topics of gas and gas supplies. Vigenin and Mammadyarov agreed to proposeconducting a business forum where Bulgarian and Azerbaijani companies can establish partnership relations and to learn about investment opportunities in both countries.
In his conversation with the Foreign Minister of Angola Georges Rebelo Pinto Chicoti, Minister Vigenin expressed desire to expand the bilateral relation. He pointed the opportunity to resume the political dialogue with Angola, both bilaterally and through the prism of Bulgaria's membership in the EU. Minister Chicoti noted that there is a great potential in the field of economy and agriculture. He said that Angola will develop ideas for intensifying the bilateral relations. Kristian Vigenin invited the Foreign Minister of Angola to visit Sofia.
During the meeting of Minister Vigenin with his Serbian counterpart, Ivan Mrkić, number of issues of mutual interest , including regional cooperation in Southeast Europe and the integration of Serbia into the EU, were discussed. Serbia's Foreign Minister praised Bulgaria's support for EU enlargement towards the Western Balkans and particularly for starting the negotiations on Serbian accession. Minister Mrkićreiterated the commitment of the Serbian government to provide in the near future textbooks in Bulgarian language for children attending Bulgarian classes. The two Ministers exchanged invitations for mutual official visits. Kristian Vigenin informed his Serbian counterpart on the country's priority nominations in the UN.
Kristian Vigenin held talks with Vladimir Mackay, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus. They emphasized on bilateral cooperation and diplomatic dialogue between the EU and Belarus. Vigenin welcomed the increased interest of Belarusian tourists to Bulgaria. In order to facilitate the procedure for issuing tourist visas, Minister Vigenin expressed his intention to strengthen the administrative capacity of the Bulgarian Consulate in Minsk.
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