Rumen Radev: Cooperation with Russia Should be Developed Despite Sanctions

,,It is important to develop economic cooperation with Russia despite sanctions and counter-sanctions'', Bulgarian President Rumen Radev said in an interview with TASS ahead of his visit to Russia's Northern capital to participate in the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), TASS reported.
"Russia is one of Bulgaria's most important economic partners — in tourism, construction, food industry. When it comes to energy resources, Russia plays a leading role. Our country imports energy resources from Russia for billions of Bulgarian levs, and this import constitutes the largest part of our trade turnover. I am confident that economic cooperation with Russia needs to be developed regardless of sanctions and counter-sanctions - the way our Western partners develop it, especially in the sphere of energy. Of course, important principles should be observed, such as competition, transparency and supply security," Radev said.
Radev noted that he will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg, and they will discuss expanding bilateral cooperation.
He added that in 2018, the leaders restored dialogue at the highest level after a 10-year break. "Now our governments should make this dilaogue productive. I think that President Putin and I share this hope. The fact that we are meeting for the second time in such a short period of time brings new dynamism to our relations," Radev concluded.
Military cooperation
Bulgaria will continue developing mutually beneficial cooperation with Russia in the military sphere to ensure the country's defense capabilities, Radev said.
"The funds allocated by the government are not sufficient to finance full rearmament of the Bulgarian army. This means only...