Speaker of Parliament Tsveta Karayancheva spoke with President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union Senator Gabriela Cuevas Barron at the 138th Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly.

The Speaker of Parliament congratulated Gabriela Cuevas Barron on her high position as President of the Inter-parliamentary Union and added that Bulgaria highly appreciated Mrs Barron’s active political work both at the national and international level, and especially her contribution to asserting the role and significance of the Inter-Parliamentary Union.

On behalf of Bulgarian parliamentarians Tsveta Karayancheva expressed full support for the work of the Inter-Parliamentary Union. She said that Bulgaria had always participated in the Inter-Parliamentary Union Assemblies and tried to contribute to the discussions and decisions on the issues from the agenda.

We believe that the discussions on the main topic of this year’s general debate, connected with migrant and refugee issues, are especially important, added the Speaker of Parliament. This is a very topical issue for our country, which is on the route of a massive flow of refugees because of its geographical location.

Tsveta Karayancheva and Gabriela Cuevas Barron discussed issues related to the representation and participation of women in the parliaments and parliament life of the member states. The Speaker of Parliament emphasised that Bulgaria followed a consistent policy towards asserting the principle of equality of women in all areas of the public and political life of the country.

The role and significance of young people’s active involvement in the political life concerning the current issues for the society were also mentioned at the meeting. There was agreement that their involvement in political decision making was very important for asserting the democratic principles and respecting human rights globally. The Inter-Parliamentary Union initiatives, such as the Inter-Parliamentary Union Forum of Young Parliamentarians, were acknowledged.