At a meeting with Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó, Bulgarian President Rumen Radev expressed his gratitude for Hungary's support for Bulgaria's accession to the Schengen area. A statement from the head of state's press office states that the president congratulated Hungary on its successful presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU). Radev and Szijjártó expressed the common position that Bulgaria's and Romania's membership in Schengen improves the business environment and facilitates economic exchange and tourism throughout the region. According to the president, Hungary is a partner with whom we share deep historical ties and friendly relations, which are a solid basis for strengthening our cooperation. Bilateral trade exceeds two billion euros and mutual interest was expressed in its subsequent increase. 

For his part, Péter Szijjártó expressed Hungary's interest in investing in the Bulgarian Black Sea ports of Varna and Burgas. The issue of access to secure and permanent supplies of energy resources was also discussed, as well as the bilateral partnership in the field of defense.

After the presidency, Péter Szijjártó also spoke with Bulgaria Caretaker Foreign Minister Ivan Kondov at the Foreign Ministry. Minister Kondov also expressed gratitude for the support of the Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the EU for the abolition of internal border controls.

The conversation also covered current issues on the European and international agenda, such as EU enlargement, Russia's war in Ukraine and transatlantic relations, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced.

Earlier today, GERB leader Boyko Borissov spoke with Péter Szijjártó and thanked Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and the Hungarian Presidency for their leadership in the process of Bulgaria's accession to Schengen and by land. Borissov wrote on Facebook that the two had once again confirmed the excellent level of bilateral cooperation between Bulgaria and Hungary and their further development in key sectors such as energy, the economy and infrastructure.