Kristian Vigenin met the new French Ambassador Xavier de Cabanes
14 October 2013 News
Minister of Foreign Affairs Kristian Vigenin met with the new Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of France to Bulgaria Xavier de Cabanes. They discussed the current state of bilateral relations and the opportunities for increasing the cooperation in various fields . Minister Vigenin stressed that the main priority for the Bulgarian government is improving the business environment in the country and attracting foreign investment. For his part, the French Ambassador expressed commitment to work for the image of Bulgaria to France and to promote the country as an attractive destination for cultural tourism.
The Foreign Minister and Ambassador de Cabanes also discussed the prospects for our country's accession to the Schengen area and the two agreed on the need to seek opportunities for practical cooperation at expert level in this area. " Bulgaria meets all the necessary conditions. Even before being a full member of the Schengen area , the country is reliable and secure external border of the EU , " said Kristian Vigenin.
Minister Vigenin and the French Ambassador exchanged specific ideas for joint work on the Roma integration issue , including expert-level cooperation between French municipalities most affected by the problem , and Bulgarian municipalities dealing successfully with the problem of Roma integration.
Bulgaria will rely on the assistance and expertise of France in the preparation for the Bulgarian rotating presidency of the EU Council in 2018 , added Kristian Vigenin. The Bulgarian Foreign Minister wished success to Ambassador de Cabanes and expressed hope that working together in the future will lead to many positive results.