Bgnewsnet.com
November 24
The presidents of Bulgaria and Uzbekistan on Monday pledged to improve their countries economic ties and to join efforts against terrorism and illegal traffic of arms and drugs.
“We’ll interact to counter the new wave terrorism that is emerging,” Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov said after talks with his Uzbek colleague Islam Karimov.
“Our countries are united in the fight against international terrorism, and the drug traffic,” Karimov said.
Parvanov and Karimov discussed also how to improve their countries’ transportation links, which, they singled out as a key obstacle to the bilateral economic ties.
Karimov was scheduled to travel Tuesday to the Bulgarian Black Sea ports of Burgas and Nesebar and get familiar with the local transportation infrastructure and tourist industry.
Government officials of Bulgaria and Uzbekistan signed eight bilateral accords on evasion of double taxation on incomes and property, cooperation in railway transport and in combined cargo transport, legal assistance and re-admission, cooperation in fight against drug traffic, extradition treaty and a veterinary convention.
President Karimov is also scheduled to meet Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg and Parliamentary Speaker Ognyan Gerdzhikov. The two heads of state will open a joint business forum. The aim of the visit of Uzbekistan's president is boosting the business and political cooperation between the two countries.
