Baku, November 16, AZERTAC

In an interview with the Caspian Energy journal, quoted by his press office, President Rumen Radev stated that the catastrophic natural disasters in recent years are an unfortunate reminder that the world must adapt to a changing climate. The latest issue of the publication is dedicated to Azerbaijan's hosting of the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29) in Baku, reports the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA).

President Radev pointed to the need for cooperation for a timely response to the changing climate and strengthening the resilience of countries.

Transparent, open discussions about climate challenges can help raise awareness of the problem. Bulgaria has made significant progress in reducing greenhouse emissions, but the transition to a climate-neutral and circular economy must be socially fair, he added.

Azerbaijan is a reliable strategic partner to Bulgaria in the South Caucasus region and in the wider Black Sea region, and the intensive bilateral political dialogue in recent years is a testimony to the deepening relations, the head of State pointed out.

In response to a question about the potential for the development of relations between Bulgaria and Azerbaijan, Radev stated the readiness of Bulgaria to upgrade the economic partnership both bilaterally and in the context of strategic energy cooperation with the EU, which provides opportunities for reliable gas supplies for Central and Eastern Europe through the Southern Gas Corridor. The joint declaration on strengthening the strategic partnership between Bulgaria and Azerbaijan, which was signed with President Ilham Aliyev in Baku in May, reflects the common will to expand the scope of the bilateral partnership in priority areas such as energy and connectivity and to give impetus to development in others areas, Rumen Radev said in the interview.

The President stressed Bulgaria's consistent commitment to improving energy connectivity together with Azerbaijan and a number of Eastern European countries. These efforts and initiatives increase the security not only of Bulgaria, but also of the region of the Western Balkans, as well as of Ukraine and Moldova, and of Europe as a whole, he noted and gave as an example the Solidarity Ring project, which enables security of supply and diversification of additional quantities of gas from Azerbaijan for Central and South-Eastern Europe in a fast, efficient and affordable way.

The head of State considers the opening of a office of the state oil company of the Republic of Azerbaijan, SOCAR, in Sofia as a positive step.

The Bulgarian President noted the need to promote contacts between businesses and the prospects for developing long-term and mutually beneficial partnerships in the field of high-tech industries and industries with high added value, unmanned aerial vehicles, the automotive sector and clean technologies.

He explained that in the last few years, Bulgaria has been developing sectors such as robotics and mechatronics in order to encourage investments in machines and automation in various sectors, and that the largest share of Bulgaria's total exports is electronics, with most foreign investments in the country being precisely in this sphere.

Bulgaria is rapidly expanding industrial zones in various regions, which encourages investments in new sectors with high added value and contributes to the implementation of Bulgarian and foreign projects, said the President. He identified joint investments in defence, in export-oriented areas such as industrial equipment, products of the food and beverage, pharmaceutical, and perfumery industries, as promising for the expansion of bilateral relations.