Thu, Feb 09 2012

Bulgaria hosts royal guests

Thu, Aug 30 2001 15:00 CET

byVelina Nacheva

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Abdullah II, king of Jordan, visited Bulgaria over the weekend, meeting with Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg and President Petar Stoyanov. It marked the first visit by a Jordanian king to Bulgaria since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1965, and the first visit by the head of state of an Arab country after 1989, when hundreds of thousands of Bulgarian Muslims emigrated to Turkey following their forcible assimilation during the Communist regime.

Officials from both sides expressed a general willingness to boost economic relations between Bulgaria and Jordan. "The visit of His Majesty King Abdullah and his talks with the premier and the cabinet will stimulate the development of the bilateral relations in favour of business, trade and economic co-operation," said Stoyanov on Sunday, after his talks with the royal guest.

The monarch was accompanied by his wife, Queen Rania, their three children, his brother Prince Ali, Jordan's Premier and Defence Minister Ali Abu Rageb, and Foreign Minister Abdel Ilah al-Hatib. The delegation was welcomed at Sofia airport by Saxe-Coburg, whose friendship with the late Jordanian King Hussein is well known.

The potential of bilateral relations has been discussed with the king of Jordan, including joint ventures and co-operation in the tourism, hydro-construction and military industries. Three bilateral agreements were signed - a program for co-operation in the fields of education, science and culture for 2001 to 2003, an agreement on air communications, and an agreement on cooperation in healthcare and medicine. "I am convinced that the visit of His Majesty will boost and speed up relations between the private sectors of both countries, and will lead to better results in a mutual partnership in both the fields of trade and economy," Stoyanov said on Saturday.

Jordan is Bulgaria's fourth-largest trade partner among Arab nations, but the annual two-way trade volume, which has not exceeded $20 million over the last few years, is below the two countries' potential.

The Jordanian king and his family, accompanied by Saxe-Coburg and his wife Margarita, spent Sunday in Plovdiv. There they watched an air show of a MiG-29 fighter, piloted by the chief of general staff, General Miho Mihov.

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