24.11.2019
Prime Minister Boyko Borissov arrived in Washington in order to meet with United States President Donald Trump at the White House tomorrow. Prime Minister Borissov's current visit is indicative of the excellent results achieved in the bilateral relations between Bulgaria and the US. The meeting between Borissov and Trump is a key step of the development of the strategic partnership between the two countries. Bulgaria and the US are allies and strategic partners, and our country has an interest in furthering the cooperation in a number of areas, such as security and defense, energy, counter-terrorism, education and science, and people-to-people relations.
Bulgaria and the US have excellent relations in the areas of security and defense, both bilaterally and within NATO. The visit to Washington is an occasion for Prime Minister Borissov to confirm the Bulgarian government's serious approach to the commitment from the NATO Summit in Wales in 2014 regarding defense spending.
In this context, our country considers the contracts for the purchase of the F-16 Block 70 aircraft not only as an important part of the defense modernization, but also as a way to provide industrial cooperation that will contribute to the economic development of Bulgaria and to the competitiveness of our country in this area in the long term. Joint military trainings in Bulgaria, which take place year-round, are also essential to improve the interoperability of the Bulgarian Armed Forces with that of other NATO member states.
During his visit to Washington, Prime Minister Borissov will also focus on issues related to the area of energy. The cooperation with the US in the field of energy has the potential to contribute to strengthening our country's energy security and diversification of energy sources and routes, including through the import of liquefied natural gas. Until now, Prime Minister Borissov has consistently pointed out to the representatives of the high-level administration of the US the benefits of implementing projects such as the Balkan gas hub, Balkan Stream, the Greece-Bulgaria interconnector, as well as the opportunities for developing the liquefied natural gas market.
Bulgaria is also interested in developing its trade and economic relations with the United States, which is regularly ranked among the top 20 foreign trade partners of our country, with trade of goods with the United States reaching a value of over $975 million in 2018. A major goal in our efforts to enhance bilateral economic cooperation is to attract new US foreign direct investment, with a focus on high-tech sectors.
Deepening the contacts between our friendly peoples is also a good basis for the ascending development of the strategic partnership between Bulgaria and the USA. In this context, our country regards as crucial the cooperation in the field of education and science, which are fundamental for the prosperity of every country.
