site.bta“Excellent Prospects” for Strengthening Parliamentary Dialogue with UK

The prospects for developing parliamentary dialogue between the United Kingdom and Bulgaria are excellent, and our goal is to make full use of them, said Bulgarian National Assembly Chair Raya Nazaryan during a meeting on Wednesday with James Asser, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Bulgaria in the UK Parliament. He and the Vice-Chair of the group, Lord Philip Smith, are on a working visit to Bulgaria at the invitation of the Bulgaria–UK Friendship Group in the National Assembly, the Assembly’s press office reported.

Nazaryan expressed satisfaction with the excellent state of bilateral relations and emphasized that the UK is a key strategic partner for Bulgaria in Europe, one with which the country shares common values and views, as well as an important ally within NATO. She reaffirmed Bulgaria’s readiness to further strengthen cooperation and dialogue on both a bilateral and multilateral basis, including through inter-parliamentary exchanges.

The visit of the representatives of the APPG on Bulgaria marks the second anniversary of the signing of the Joint Declaration on Strategic Partnership between the two countries, noted the British Ambassador to Bulgaria, Nathaniel Copsey, at the meeting. James Asser said he was pleased that, after an eight-year break, the friendship group in the British Parliament has been re-established. He expressed confidence that meetings between parliamentarians from both countries will contribute to the development of bilateral relations and the expansion of practical cooperation.

Lord Smith said the current visit to Sofia is intended to ensure that the two sides’ good friendship provides a stable foundation for deepening and strengthening business contacts and economic initiatives.

Bulgaria–UK Friendship Group Chair Denitsa Sacheva pointed out that the large membership of the group, 72 MPs in the 240-seat National Assembly, reflects the importance Bulgaria attaches to enhancing inter-parliamentary dialogue with the UK. “We are grateful for the shared understanding we have found in you and thank you for your personal commitment, which was instrumental in forming a corresponding group on Bulgaria in the UK Parliament,” Sacheva told the guests.

During the meeting, the hosts thanked for the good treatment of the Bulgarian community in the UK. They also underlined that the UK remains an indispensable partner of the EU in the fields of security and defence, including within the framework of Euro-Atlantic collective defence. Both sides agreed on the need to continue working together for a safer and more stable Europe.

It was further noted that a significant number of Bulgarian students are making use of the high-quality educational opportunities offered by UK universities. At the same time, the number of British students studying medicine, dentistry and pharmacy at Bulgarian universities continues to grow, positioning Bulgaria as one of the fastest-developing providers of trained professionals for the UK healthcare system.