Foreign minister Velislava Petrova has asked the United Arab Emirates to invest in Bulgaria's ports and in the rail, road and intermodal links to them, the Foreign Ministry said.

In Abu Dhabi, Petrova met Mohamed Hassan Al Suwaidi, the UAE's minister of investment. They discussed how to turn the strategic partnership between Bulgaria and the UAE into specific investment projects.

The main sectors on the agenda were transport and logistics, energy and digital infrastructure, and high-tech manufacturing.

They also spoke about a regional summit on connectivity that Bulgaria is preparing with the European Commission for spring 2027. Petrova asked the UAE to take part at the highest state level. She also wants Emirati investment funds, companies and infrastructure operators to have a place in the summit's business module.

The invitation to visit the UAE came from Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the country's deputy prime minister and foreign minister.

At the end of last month, interior minister Ivan Demerdzhiev met the UAE ambassador to Bulgaria, Abdulrahman Ahmed Sultan Essa Al Jaber. They discussed how the two countries can work more closely against organised and transnational crime, cybercrime and modern threats to public security.