site.btaForeign Minister, OECD Accession Coordinator Discuss Bulgaria's Membership Progress

Minister of Foreign Affairs Velislava Petrova met with Gita Kothari, the coordinator for the accession of candidate countries at the Secretariat of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the Foreign Ministry reported on Friday. Kothari is in Bulgaria for a working visit, part of the regular dialogue on Bulgaria’s progress in the accession process to the OECD.

Petrova reported that Bulgaria remains committed to completing the technical phase of the accession process as soon as possible this year. Bulgaria’s top diplomat highlighted the importance of effective coordination among all institutions and cooperation between the government and the National Assembly for the adoption of the necessary legislative changes. She emphasized the political will to fully mobilize all institutions and expressed confidence that Bulgaria will continue to count on the Secretariat’s support in achieving its goals.

The Minister emphasized Bulgaria’s commitment to continuing to make progress at a pace comparable to that of the other candidate countries. In her words, Bulgaria’s will to join the OECD demonstrates a strong commitment to better aligning the country’s policies with best practices and standards in the economic, financial, social, and environmental spheres, as well as in public administration. She also emphasized that this membership woild mean higher standards, greater trust, and a better investment climate.

For her part, Kothari highly commended the progress Bulgaria has made so far, noting that the country now has a legitimate government that inspires confidence and is determined to see the path to membership through to the end.