Bulgaria Keen on Keeping Good Economic Ties with Russia, Lukarski Says

Bulgaria's Economy Minister Bozhidar Lukarski has said the country is keen on preserving its traditionally good economic relations with Russia.

Speaking during a meeting with Russia's Deputy Minister of Economic Development Alexei Likhachev in Moscow on Sunday, Lukarski proposed to hold the next meeting of the joint Bulgarian-Russian intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation - the first since 2011 - in late October or mid-November in Sofia.

A Bulgarian-Russian business forum could take place alongside the meeting of the joint commission, said Lukarski, according to a statement issued by the Economy Ministry in Sofia on Monday.

Alexei Likhachev opined that the current political circumstances shouldn't be an obstacle to the development of economic ties between Russia and Bulgaria as businesses in both countries are interested in preserving the traditionally good bilateral ties.

Likhachev also accepted the proposal put forward by Lukarski, saying that Russia will name its co-chair of the joint intergovernmental economic commission within two weeks, according to the statement. Lukarski and Energy Minister Temenuzhka Petkova are the Bulgarian co-chairs of the commission.

Lukarski is on a two-day working visit to Russia, leading a delegation of government officials and representatives of 40 Bulgarian companies. Twelve of these companies will attend the international Metal Processing Exhibition 2015 in Moscow as part of the government's efforts to boost the export potential of Bulgarian small and medium-sized enterprises.

A Bulgarian-Russian business forum will be held on Tuesday.

European Union sanctions against Moscow over its involvement in the Ukraine crisis and the retaliatory food imports ban imposed by Russia...