Minister Kristian Vigenin participated in the 11th ASEM Foreign Ministers Meeting (Gurgaon, India)

On the second day of the ASEM Foreign Ministers Meeting in Gurgaon, India, in the closed plenary session, the heads of delegations discussed a number of international and regional issues, including the situation in Afghanistan and on the Korean Peninsula, the Iranian nuclear program, the situation in the Middle East, Syria, etc.

Minister Vigenin participated in the discussions on the topic "The situation in Syria and its impact on the region." He expressed grave concern over the escalating crisis in Syria, stressing the need in addition to settling the issue of the destruction of chemical weapons in the country, to seek a lasting solution to the conflict through an integrated and comprehensive strategy. The Minister emphasized the importance of the humanitarian aspects of the crisis, including the growing number of refugees. They signify a serious challenge to the stability of the neighboring countries due to the lack of funds fordealingwith the refugee wave and also because of the risk of infiltration of terrorists, radicalization and strengthening of the xenophobic attitudes. In this regard, Minister Vigenin called for more solidarity and support to the most affected countries. He briefed the partners with the refugee pressure on the Balkan region and pointed out the difficulties faced by Bulgaria in dealing with the critical situation.

The Bulgarian Foreign Minister also referred to the topic of the Middle East conflict and highly appreciated the recent initiative of the U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry for its peaceful settlement. He noted that the direct Israeli- Palestinian negotiations are an opportunity that is limited in time and expressed hope that this time it will be brought to a successful end.

As regards the Iranian nuclear issue, our top diplomat welcomed the progress achieved on the convergence of the views of the negotiators during the meeting in Geneva. The 11th ASEM Foreign Ministers Meeting was concluded with the adoption of the " Chair’s Statement ", which reflected the discussions and the agreements reached on the issues of cooperation between Europe and Asia, the prospects for economic development and sustainable growth, the non-traditional security threats, international and regional issues, etc. The ministers endorsed the Chair's proposal for the creation of groups of countries to work in specific areas for developing thecooperation within the ASEM format. In turn, Bulgaria expressed willingness and was included as a partner country in the field of “Effective and sustainable water management, innovations in water supply and wastewater."

The ministers agreed on the participation of Croatia in the ASEM meetings as a " guest to the chair " until a decision is made on its ASEM membership application on the 10th ASEM Summit, which will be held in 2014 in Milan. The next12th ASEM Foreign Ministers Meetingwill take place in Luxembourg in 2015.

Minister Vigenin held bilateral meetings with foreign ministers of other partners of ASEM.

The meeting with the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh Dr. ( Mrs. ) Dipu Moni was the first meeting of the foreign ministers of the two countries in recent years. Minister Vigenin confirmed Bulgaria’s desire and willingness to strengthen its relations with Bangladesh. Minister Dipu Moni highly appreciated the bilateral relations, expressing gratitude for Bulgaria’s support to Bangladesh in the first years of its independence.It was emphasized that our country was among the first to recognize the independence of Bangladesh.

Within the framework of the meeting,  proposals for the development of the relations in a wide range of areas were exchanged. Minister Vigenin expressed hope for the swift delivery of new agreements in the field of economic cooperation and the contacts between the MFA, which will enrich and develop the existing contractual basis. He welcomed the high rates of economic growth in Bangladesh in times ofglobal economic crisis. On his part, the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh, Dipu Moni, referred to the sound legislative basis and the excellent conditions for investments in Bangladesh. She expressed hope for businessmen from both countries to establish contacts and to take advantage of the opportunities for expanding the economic ties. She also stated the interest of Bangladesh to resume the cooperation in the field of education. As possible areas of cooperation, they referred to agriculture, information technology and others. They also emphasized the important role of the honorary consuls of both countries for the development of the trade and economic relations. The ministers highly assessed the fruitful cooperation between the two countries and the mutual support within the framework ofthe UN and other international organizations. During the meeting, mutual invitations for visits were also exchanged.

Minister Vigenin held a meeting with the Head of the Delegation of the Kingdom of Thailand, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Jullapong Nonsrichai. During the talks, they expressed mutual desire to strengthen the bilateral relations in the political sphere and the trade and economic cooperation. Both sides shared their willingness to mark the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relation between Bulgaria in Thailand in 2014 with a number of joint initiatives in both countries. They emphasized the potential for fruitful cooperation and investment in the field of tourism. Invitations for mutual visits were exchanged.

During the meeting of Minister Vigenin and Sartaj Aziz, a national security and foreign policy adviser of the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Mr. Aziz stated that the economic potential of the relations remains underutilized. The two ministers expressed commitment to accelerate the work on negotiating a number of agreements, including an Avoidance of Double Taxation Agreement and the Memorandum of Understanding between the Chambers of Commerce .

Minister Kristian Vigenin gave an interview for the Indian TV show "Insight - with Vickram Bahl", in which he answered questions related to the Bulgarian- Indian relations, with a focus on the economic ties, the position of Bulgaria in the EU, as well as current international issues.

The program for the day concluded with a working dinner of Minister Vigenin with the Honorary Consul of Bulgaria in Hyderabad, Dr. Y.Kiran Kumar, with Indian businessmen and friends of Bulgaria.