Kristian Vigenin underwent hearing by the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Assembly
09.10.2013
Minister of Foreign Affairs Kristian Vigenin participated in the special session of the Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee. He briefed the MPs on the results of his working visit to Washington and the meetings held during the General Debate of the 68th Session of the UN General Assembly in New York. He highlighted his participation in the ministerial high-level meeting devoted to the humanitarian aspects of the Syrian conflict which was organized by Kristalina Georgieva - Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, and Foreign Minister of Jordan Nasser Judeh. The topic of Syria has been derived as a highlight also during the conversation of Vigenin with the EU Foreign Ministers, as it became clear during the hearing before the Committee members. According to Kristian Vigenin, the upcoming Eastern Partnership Summit in November in Vilnius was also discussed with the ministers.
Minister Vigenin said that he has called for joint assistance from the EU and the international community to deal with the refugee wave to Bulgaria as a result of the Syrian crisis. He informed the MPs that he has confirmed Sofia's bid to host the Permanent Secretariat of the parliamentary dimension of the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) during an informal meeting with the foreign ministers from the region in New York. Vigenin highlighted the importance of the process to focus on best practices in regional cooperation so far that have led to tangible results, as well as the application of the principle of active participation of all countries from the region.
Asked by a MP about his official visit to Moldova, which ended yesterday, the Minister said that one of the main objectives was to strengthen the political dialogue and to state our country’s support for the European perspective of Moldova. The Minister has held meetings with representatives of the Bulgarian community in Chișinău and Taraklia where he has confirmed our country’s support for the preservation and development of our identity, as well as the need of it to be part of our active support for the European integration of Moldova.
The Minister responded to questions by MPs related to the current situation with the refugee wave as a result of the Syrian crisis and the measures undertaken by the Government. Asked about the possible construction of a seventh unit of NPP "Kozloduy ", Vigenin said that research process is underway. Regarding the draft project of NPP " Belene " , the Minister confirmed the position that he had expressed during his meeting with Carlos Pascual - Special Envoy and Coordinator for International Energy Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, that its implementation depends solely on its economic viability and it does not hold any political dimensions.
