President of Malta Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca started the official engagements in relation to the state visit in Bulgaria.
Following a meeting with President of Bulgaria Rumen Radev, in the presence of Malta and Bulgaria’s respective delegations, President Coleiro Preca and President Radev addressed a joint press conference.
‘United we stand strong’
The President congratulated Bulgaria on the excellent start of Bulgaria’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union and said that the chosen motto ‘United we stand strong’ is especially inspiring.
“I wholeheartedly agree that when we stand strong and work together to pursue common goals and objectives, we can achieve a more competitive union, which also promotes cohesion”, the President said.
“An ideal opportunity”
President Coleiro Preca said that the state visit to Bulgaria is an ideal opportunity for both countries to further intensify the political, economic, and social relations between them, adding that the presence of a strong business delegation – including a strong representation of businesses from Gozo – “is also evidence of the commitment and political will”, that both Malta and Bulgaria feel “towards developing sustainable collaborations and potential partnerships, to ensure prosperity for our peoples”.
The President also referred to five Memoranda of Understanding and cooperation agreements that will be signed between Malta and Bulgaria’s commercial and educational entities during the visit, explaining that the signing of these memoranda and agreements are also evidence that Malta and Bulgaria are eager to work even more closely with each other.
President Coleiro Preca added that it is imperative that direct connectivity between Malta and Bulgaria is ensured, “for our mutual businesses to flourish and to further develop the tourism industry”.
During their bilateral talks President Coleiro Preca and President Radev discussed various sectors where collaboration could occur including areas of financial services, digital games, education, and training in various sectors such as healthcare, transhipment and logistics, tourism and hospitality, teaching English as a foreign language, and security in the European Union amongst others.
Malta and Bulgaria: ideal collaborators
The President of Malta said that Malta’s geo-strategic importance in the Euro-Mediterranean region parallels Bulgaria’s geo-strategic position in the Western Balkan region, making both countries ideal collaborators and not competitors, the President insisted. She also appealed for ongoing enhancement of peace, security, and prosperity “across our regions – as one united family – which includes the peoples of Europe”.
Upon concluding, President Coleiro Preca affirmed that we must remain united by the essential values that Malta and Bulgaria share – irrespective of where we come from – “united by our commitment to universal human rights and fundamental freedoms and a profound respect for the rule of law and intrinsic human dignity”.
“It is these values which define Malta and Bulgaria as nations of goodwill and it is thanks to these deep roots that I am certain, the friendship between our countries and our peoples will keep growing stronger in the future”, President Coleiro Preca concluded.