Speaker of Parliament Tsveta Karayancheva and President of Malta Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca have expressed readiness to deepen bilateral coopration in a number of areas.

The Speaker of Parliament said that the traditionally good relations between the two countries had a prospect for development and mentioned trade and cultural and educational ties as areas of greatest potential. Tsveta Karayancheva also emphasised the importance of parliamentary cooperation between Bulgaria and Malta. She recalled that Bulgaria was currently holding the presidency of the Council of the EU and this was an important period for the country. The tasks we have set out to fulfil are related to security and stability, EU prospect for the Western Balkans, digital economy and the future of young people, said the Speaker of Parliament. In her words, the slogan of the Bulgarian Presidency, “United we stand strong”, is equally relevant to Bulgaria and Europe. Tsveta Karayancheva praised Malta for their successful presidency of the Council of the EU in the first six months of 2017.

The Speaker of Parliament recalled that Valletta would be the European capital of culture in 2018, while the city of Plovdiv will be in 2019. We are faced with a lot of challenges, but united we will cope with them, said Tsveta Karayancheva.

President of Malta Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca said that the delegation led by her had come with the political will to give an impetus to the relations between the two countries. There are many similarities between Bulgaria and Malta and we consider them advantages we can count on to the benefit of the two nations, she added. We are here to encourage good cooperation and also explore opportunities, also said the President of Malta.

Among the topics discussed were problems with migration and the cohesion policy.