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DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER EKATERINA ZAHARIEVA MET WITH THE FIRST DIPLOMATS OF AFGHANISTAN, QATAR, AND NEPAL

26.09.2018

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ekaterina Zaharieva met in New York with her colleagues from Afghanistan, Qatar, and Nepal.

 

Zaharieva is part of the Bulgarian delegation to the UN General Assembly led by Prime Minister Boyko Borissov.

 

"Thank you for Bulgaria's assistance for the reconstruction of Afghanistan," Minister Salahuddin Rabbani told Zaharieva. He stated that the Bulgarian soldiers are valued as one of the best professionals. Bulgaria has contributed with a contingent of up to 160 soldiers in NATO's "Resolute Support" mission and $ 1 million in financial contributions to the Afghan Army Assistance Trust Fund. Our country also organizes official training courses for diplomats, police officers, and civil servants with a special requirement to include a certain percentage of women in the courses. Additionally, Bulgaria is contributing to the budgets of a number of international organizations that are implementing projects in Afghanistan.

 

"We discussed the situation in the country, as well as the upcoming parliamentary elections. They also welcome the Afghan President's initiative to start talks with the Taliban," Zaharieva said.

 

At a meeting with the Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, a wide range of issues from the international agenda were discussed, focusing on the political situation in the Gulf and the European Union. "Thanks for the pragmatic approach in our bilateral relations following the state visit of Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in March this year. The work on concrete projects continues," said Minister Zaharieva, whereby her counterpart said he would personally monitor their realization. Minister Al Thani expressed special congratulations for Prime Minister Boyko Borissov for the results of the Bulgarian EU Council Presidency and the the "16+1" meeting with China. The two ministers also discussed the consequences of the United States' withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Action Plan on Iran.

 

In the year of marking the 50th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between Bulgaria and Nepal, the Foreign Ministers of both countries met in New York. Such a meeting takes place for the first time in 10 years. Minister Zacharieva thanked her newly appointed Nepalese counterpart, Pradip Kumar Gyawali, for the assistance by the Himalayans in the search for the legendary Bulgarian mountaineer Boyan Petrov. She invited Minister Gyawali to visit Sofia. Nepal's first diplomat informed her about the progress with the political reforms after the first elections in full implementation of the democratic constitution of the country from 2015. He invited Bulgarian business to invest in the country. Zaharieva and Gyawali also noted the traditional interest of Bulgarian mountaineers in the Himalayas. In Nepal our country is represented by an honorary consul.