16.11.2019
Prime Minister Boyko Borissov met with Assistant Secretary of State at the US Department of State's Bureau of International Security and Non-Proliferation, Christopher Ford. The meeting was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Tomislav Donchev, Minister of Energy Temenuzhka Petkova and US Ambassador Herro Mustafa.
Cooperation between Bulgaria and the US in the field of energy was one of the highlights of th conversation at the Council of Ministers, with Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Ford pointing out that this area is vital to our common strategic interests and national security.
Prime Minister Borissov put an emphasis on the potential of our country to ensure diversification of energy sources and routes not only in our territory but also in the region. The Bulgarian Prime Minister said that it was strategically important for Bulgaria to maintain its key role in the gas map of Europe and emphasized on the realization of the gas connection with Greece. Borissov reminded that the first deliveries of liquefied natural gas originating from the USA to our country were realized this year.
Prime Minister Borissov noted that as an EU Member State, Bulgaria strictly complies with the requirements for diversification of fresh nuclear fuel supplies. In this context, the Prime Minister noted the successful partnership between the Bulgaria and Westinghouse over the last 15 years, including seeking an opportunity to meet the European requirements for the diversification of fresh nuclear fuel.
The potential implementation of the Belene Nuclear Power Plant project was also discussed during the meeting. Prime Minister Borissov said that a total of thirteen companies had submitted applications for the selection process of a strategic investor. Among them is the American company General Electric. Assistant Secretary of State Ford reiterated the US view of the project, and both sides agreed on a the deployment of a team of US technical experts to Bulgaria to explore options for enhancing the Bulgarian-US strategic partnership in the energy sector. Prime Minister Borissov and Christopher Ford also discussed Bulgarian-US relations in civilian nuclear energy established in the US-Euratom agreement 123.
In the framework of the meeting, the excellent cooperation between Bulgaria and the US in a number of other areas such as security and defense, counter-terrorism, education and relations between the two nations was emphasized on.
