April 12, 2010



The Bulgarian leader and the delegation were met in person by the President of the Portuguese Assembly of the Republic Jaime Gama with a ceremonial review of the honor guard performed by the palace of Sao Bento units of the National Republican Guard of Portugal.

The talks between Bulgarian and Portuguese heads of parliament were held in the Reception Hall at the Presidency of the Portuguese Parliament.

Jaime Gama stressed that it was in the interest of both peoples to expand their contacts. He said his country had followed Bulgaria's progress in recent years with a great interest, including its accession to NATO and the EU and its successful democratic development. He suggested that Bulgaria tap Portugal's experience, above all the lessons learned while it was overcoming difficulties in the course of EU membership.

For her part, Tsacheva said there are many similarities between the two countries, with EU membership being the most important link between them now and in the future. She added that Bulgaria was interested in Portugal's experience in the construction of major infrastructure projects and the absorption of EU funds. She said both countries attach importance to anti-crisis measures and policies and to anti-crisis legislation. She also pointed to the important role of the interparliamentary cooperation and expressed confidence the contacts will further increase at parliamentary committees’ level in particular.

The role of the national parliaments after the Treaty of Lisbon entered into force and the two countries' law-making priorities were also high on the agenda.

Tsacheva invited her Portuguese counterpart to visit Bulgaria.

Attending the meeting on the Portuguese side were the parliament’s vice-president and the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee.
The Bulgarian delegation included the chair and deputy chair of the parliamentary Bulgaria- Portugal friendship committee Genoveva Alexieva and Angel Naidenov, and theTransport and Communications Committee chairperson Ivan Valkov.