Bulgaria will host a regional summit on links between Europe and Asia next year, foreign minister Velislava Petrova said. It will organise the event jointly with the European Commission. Petrova spoke today at a news conference in Berlin with German foreign minister Johann Wadephul.
This report follows our earlier story on Petrova's planned meeting with Wadephul, where the two ministers were due to discuss security in the Black Sea, connectivity and EU enlargement.
Petrova opened in German and thanked her hosts for the warm welcome. She called Germany a "key partner" for Bulgaria and said relations between the two countries have "strategic importance". As proof, she said Rumen Radev's first visit as prime minister was to Berlin.
Petrova said good political ties are a solid base for more cooperation between the two countries. The existing economic partnership has great potential in defence, infrastructure, energy, innovation and science.
Europe must free itself from its economic dependencies, the minister believes. That needs new energy sources and secure routes to bring them to the continent. Bulgaria has real advantages because of its location and can achieve more with Germany in transport links, Petrova said.
Political, financial and business leaders will attend the summit, along with the European institutions. "The aim is clear – to move from political ambitions to concrete projects and real funding that will diversify Europe's supplies and help it overcome its dependencies," the minister said.
The forum will also discuss the European Commission's new project on international connectivity, with Prime Minister Radev. Commission president Ursula von der Leyen announced it on 16 September in her State of the Union speech.