Bulgarian Russian Intergovt Commission to Meet in October - Report

The Bulgarian-Russian intergovernmental commission will hold its first meeting since 2011 in October, according to Petar Kanev, Chair of the Parliament's economic committee.

In an interview for 24 Hours daily, Kanev says that he has been informed about the meeting by Economy Minister Bozhidar Lukarski.

Kanev suggests that seven countries, including three EU Member States, are currently preparing such meetings.
According to Capital daily, Russia is organizing such meetings with other EU countries in a bid to break through the sanctions regime.

"I am convinced that politics is politics and business is business," Kanev adds, stressing that wars and embargo regimes have never led to anything positive.

"I have the feeling that yet again Europe and the US are dining at one table, with the US ordering the meals and Europe footing the bill," he comments.

He recommends that Bulgaria take care to protect its own interests.

Kanev says that his recent visit to Moscow on the occasion of a conference has allowed him to realize that Bulgaria has become an inadvisable destination for contacts and work.

In his words, the few Bulgarian goods left on the Russian market are being displaced by imports from Serbia, Macedonia, India, and Brazil.

Kanev also insists that Bulgarian businesses need to cut red tape urgently.