17 June 2008
Opportunities to extend the parliamentary cooperation and to intensify the trade and economic relations between Bulgaria and India were the essential topics of discussion between National Assembly Chairman Georgi Pirinski and Mr. Somnath Chatterjee, Speaker of the Lower Chamber (House of the People) of the Indian parliament on their meeting, held on June 17th 2008.
A delegation from the lower Chamber of the Indian parliament, headed by Mr. Chatterjee is on official visit to Bulgaria from 17 to 20 June 2008.
Mr. Pirinski pointed to the traditional friendly relations between Bulgaria and India and to the fact that the two parliaments should keep up with the expectations of their citizens for their further development and extension.
On his behalf Somnath Chatterjee greeted Bulgaria for its membership in the European Union and said that India maintains a strategic partnership with the Union. It is always nice to have a good friend in the European Parliament who may promote further this partnership and in the face of Bulgaria we have such a friend, he stated.
He also noticed that the friendship between India and Bulgaria has proved itself through the time. At present there exists a particular interest to develop the cooperation in the fields of education, the IT and the defense industry.
The exchanges between the two parliaments could further familiarize their members and help identify new areas for cooperation.
The meeting was attended by The Deputy Chairman of the National Assembly Luben Kornezov, the Head of the parliamentary friendship group between Bulgaria and India Snegana Grozdilova and MPs Ivan Grizanov (PG Coalition for Bulgaria), Petar Kunev (PG Coalition for Bulgaria) and Mussa Palev (PG Movement for Rights and Freedoms).
In his statement for the Media the Chairman of the National Assembly stressed again that relations between the two countries were grounded on very stable traditions of friendship. According to his words, the visit of the Speaker of the House of the People of the Indian Parliament opens a new page in the bilateral relations, encouraged by high level visits in the last years