Ministers of Caretaker Government Held Meetings with US Ambassador in Bulgaria

Bulgaria's caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs, Svetlan Stoev, the Minister of Economy, Kiril Petkov, and the US Ambassador H.E. Herro Mustafa discussed today topics from the shared agenda of the Bulgaria-US Strategic Dialogue, as well as the Bulgarian chairmanship of the Three Seas Initiative.

Minister Stoev stressed the continuity in the foreign policy of the caretaker government, as well as the desire of the Bulgarian side to further deepen the strategic partnership with the United States both bilaterally and in the context of transatlantic relations.

He focused on key priorities for Bulgaria in the relations with the United States, including Bulgaria's accession to the US Visa Waiver Program, the start of negotiations on a bilateral Social Security Agreement, support for Bulgaria's accession to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Bulgaria's caretaker Minister of Defense Georgi Panayotov also met with the US Ambassador Herro Mustafa at the Defense Ministry.

They discussed the state, development and prospects of bilateral cooperation between Bulgaria and the United States in the field of defense.

"I will work actively to further strengthen trust and deepen the strategic relations between Bulgaria and the United States," said Minister Panayotov.

He expressed satisfaction that his first meeting since taking office was with the US Ambassador and stressed the potential for building upon the strategic partnership between the two countries.