Minister Kristian Vigenin held talks with the U.S. Secretary of State
06 March 2014 News
Minister Kristian Vigenin held talks with the U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry during the conference on International Support to Libya, which was held today in Rome. They discussed the preparation of the training of Libyan troops in Bulgaria, as well as the abolition of visa requirements for Bulgarian citizens.
John Kerry informed the Bulgarian Foreign Minister that he has advised the Libyan leadership to accelerate the negotiations on signing the Agreement to train military personnel in Bulgaria, because in his words "each day of delay works against them." U.S. Secretary of State welcomed Bulgaria's commitment to building the security forces of Libya.
Kristian Vigenin informed his counterpart that the Agreement with the U.S. Terrorist Screening Center is to be finalized, which will eliminate the last legal obstacle to the abolition of visas for Bulgarians. The Bulgarian Foreign Minister expressed hope that the U.S. will adopt a more flexible approach in terms of the visa refusal rates, if it is a criterion, which depends entirely on the U.S. consular office. U.S. Secretary of State said that they are working on the issue and he hopes that it will be resolved soon.