Subject: Ta nea toy BTA 21-Feb-95[*] Ta nea apo thn Presbeia ths Boylgarias sthn Washington, D.C. * Synenteyjh toy YpEj ths Boylgarias G. Pirinski gia thn ejwterikh politikh ths xwras. * Synenteyjh toy YpEj gia ta apotelesmata ths episkechs toy Zhelev sthn Amerikh kai tis sxeseis Boylgarias-HPA. . Mellontikh episkech toy Prouyp ths Rwssias sthn Boylgaria. Anamenetai na ypografoyn synuhkes synergasias. . Teleiwse h episkech twn antiproswpwn toy DNT kai ths Dieunoys Trapezas sthn Boylgaria. . Synexizetai h epanakamch twn Boylgarikwn epixeirhsewn. . H Boylgaria ua kerdisei 6.4 ekatom. ENM to 1995. . H Boylgaria exase $310 ekatom. apo to empargko toy ayuwdh pyretoy [kata to 1994]. Giwrgos Kapodistrias ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ From: bulgaria@access.digex.net (Embassy of Bulgaria) Subject: BTA inf/ Feb. 21, 95 Date: 21 Feb 1995 16:58:30 -0500 EMBASSY OF THE REPUBLIC OF BULGARIA - WASHINGTON D.C. BTA - BULGARIAN TELEGRAPH AGENCY BULLETIN OF NEWS FROM BULGARIA FEBRUARY 21, 1995 FOREIGN MINISTER PIRINSKI ON BULGARIA'S FOREIGN POLICY There is only one target for the [Bulgarian] cabinet: integration and getting closer to the Atlantic and European structures, Foreign Minister Georgi Pirinski tells an interviewer of "Standart News". Asked if there is a divergence in the President and cabinet's stands on this country's integration into NATO and the European Union (EU), the Foreign Minister says the integration into the European structures presupposes active cooperation with the Western European Union (WEU) in the sphere of defense policy. "The WEU is not an isolated organization, it is part of the Euro-Atlantic system for defense. Therefore, talking of integration into the European structures we should bear in mind its Atlantic dimension," says Pirinski. He went on to say that, on the other hand, Bulgaria's relations with NATO follow the Partnership for Peace line; the cabinet reiterated Bulgaria's commitment to participate fully and actively in this initiative. Commenting on some Bulgarian institutions' aspirations to full NATO membership, the Foreign Minister said "what matters is the sober evaluation of one's potential and the commitments he could take, rather than the aspirations themselves". To the question if placing European integration as a top priority is not a kind of curtsey to Russia's reservations as to NATO, Foreign Minister Pirinski says he does not see the foreign policy as a series of curtsies, one to the East and one to the West. "I would like to see it as a series of actions that, step by step, promote national security and give this country chances for closer economic cooperation," Pirinski says adding that the cabinet will follow and try to analyze in a view of Bulgaria's interests, everything that is being offered in a Euro-Atlantic aspect. The Bulgarian governments over the past years, as well as this [incumbent] one, had their relations with the neighboring countries based on equal readiness for confidence building, and not confrontation, Pirinski says commenting on the Balkan policy of the sitting cabinet. "Our neighbors have enough problems between themselves and each one of them seems to be viewing Bulgaria's relations with the other one through the prism of the conflicts he is involved in. I think that Bulgaria has never sought to avail itself of the confrontations in the Balkans, and will never do so in the future," the interviewee also says. Asked if activating the relations with Serbia is being considered, the Bulgarian Foreign Minister says, "[...]I would not specify our relations in the Balkans to a single country, [...] we should not lose the valuable component of balance in the relations with all our neighbors". ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ FOREIGN MINISTER PIRINSKI ON BULGARIAN - U.S. RELATIONS Bulgarian Foreign Minister Georgi Pirinski describes the results from President Zhelyu Zhelev's official working visit to the U.S. early last week as an opportunity to substantiate the relations between Bulgaria and the United States in far more concrete and more tangible terms. Minister Pirinski, who was in the Bulgarian delegation to the U.S., said at a news conference today that "the way the relations will be substantiated and the ratio between commitments and advantages this opportunity affords, will largely depend on the Bulgarian state bodies, business circles and political forces." Asked about which issues concerning the Bulgarian- U.S. relations should be given priority, Foreign Minister Pirinski listed Bulgaria's removal from the list of countries subject to the Jackson-Vanik Amendment to the Trade Reform Bill on a permanent, rather than temporary basis, and attracting leading American companies as investors in Bulgaria. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ BULGARIAN-RUSSIAN RELATIONS GAIN NEW DIMENSIONS The series of important agreements between Bulgaria and the Russian Federation, to be signed at the upcoming visit of Russia's Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin in March-April, will raise the economic relations between the two states to a higher level, Russian Ambassador in Sofia Alexander Avdeyev told a news briefing today. In his view the two sides are expected to sign very attractive accords. The agreement settling Bulgaria's 100 million USD loan to Russia will specify the goods subject to delivery and the time limits for paying off the loan; an agreement for health cooperation has already been prepared together with accords on nuclear energy. The delegations will consider major draft intergovernmental conventions in agriculture and a draft agreement for cooperation in farming. The constitutive papers for a new Russian-Bulgarian gas partnership and a number of interdepartmental agreements in industry, standardization etc. are also under way, the Russian Ambassador said. With view to the forthcoming important events, further significance acquires the Season of Russia in Bulgaria, to be launched on February 24 with the Days of Ekaterinburg. The Season of Russia in Bulgaria will be held for the first time after a break of 10 years and will be the first event of that kind not planned by state institutions, said Mr. Avdeyev and Prof. Zahari Zahariev, Chairman of the Federation for Friendship with Russia and the CIS States, which is co-organizer of the event together with the Slavyani Foundation, the Russian Cultural and Information Center in Sofia and the National Palace of Culture. The Season of Russia will be held under the auspices of the Russian Federation with direct participation of the Bulgarian government and the support of other important institutions of the two states. The days will represent a natural part of the national program for commemoration of the 50th anniversary since the defeat of Fascism, which will be decreed by the Council of Ministers, Prof. Zahariev said. He shared Mr. Avdeyev's view that the celebrations, which will be attended by representatives of the anti-Hitler coalition as well as by Germany and Austria, are more particularly intended to unite all democratically-minded people round such an approach to the events of the World War Two, that would not allow the humanity to experience another disaster of the kind. The Season of Russia in Bulgaria will be held between February and June and will include a number of events with the participation of Russian political, public, cultural and scientific figures. A round table on "Prospects for Bulgarian-Russian Relations in the Light of an Intergovernmental Treaty" is scheduled to be held in May. One of the focuses in all events will be the promotion of inter-regional and inter-municipal cooperation between Bulgaria and Russia, Mr. Avdeyev said. He described the 12 inter-regional bilateral relations signed so far as "a premiere in international law". The first joint business forum within the Season of Russia in Bulgaria will be held even next week. Days of Astrakhan, of Nijni Novgorod and its region, Saratov and its region and others are on the agenda, Prof. Zahariev told the news briefing. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ IMF AND WORLD BANK MISSIONS END VISITS The missions of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank ended their two-day working visit to Bulgaria paid to get acquainted with the policy of the new Government, as the mission members said. The dialogue between Bulgaria and the two international financial institutions will be resumed in March 1995, Michael Deppler, IMF European Office deputy director, said before his departure. Russel Kincaid, IMF mission leader for Bulgaria, will return in Sofia in March to particularize some financial matters, such as the macroeconomic parameters of the budget. According to Deppler, however, Bulgaria has made greater progress in the field of finance than in the structural adjustment of the economy and this requires a closer inspection. To a great extent an agreement was reached on the essence of the problems, on the way of resolving them and on the working program, Deppler said in an interview for the Bulgarian National television. He said he was impressed by the Government's serious approach to the problems. Some commentaries appeared in today's press that say the talks between the Bulgarian Government and the missions of the IMF and the World Bank were difficult. Bulgaria is negotiating the conclusion of a fourth standby agreement with the IMF on a 150 million dollars loan and an agreement with the World Bank on a finance and economy structural adjustment loan of 150 million dollars. If the country signs these arrangements, it will receive another 50 million dollars from Japan and a part from the loans promised by G-24 amounting to about half a million dollars. The country needs the money to service its foreign debt to the Paris Club, the creditor banks, commercial banks and international financial institutions. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ MORE AND MORE BULGARIAN ENTERPRISES RECOVER The tendency towards a gradual recovery of production in Bulgaria which emerged in 1994, continued in January 1995, Dimiter Fratev, spokesman of the National Statistical Institute (NSI), said at a news conference here. The January output of public sector enterprises was 1.4% up from the same month in 1994, according to the NSI. Industry accounts for the greatest share, the increase in its output being almost 6%. Seven branches registered an increase in their output: electricity and heat energy generation, ferrous metallurgy, the mechanical engineering and metal processing industry, the chemical and oil refining industry, the glass and china industry, the textile and knitwear industry and the tailoring industry. The average growth in these branches was almost 20%. They account for 64% of the January output, the NSI spokesman said. The chemical and oil refining industry marked the highest increase rate of almost 50% in January. January saw an increase in the output of almost half of the basic industrial products which shows that the process of recovery is affecting more and more industrial enterprises and branches. Despite these positive results, however, decline in the food processing industry continued, according to NSI data. The output of the food processing industry was 15% down from 1994. Milk and dairy products marked the steepest decline of 62%, followed by meat and meat products with 48%. A drop has also been registered in the electronics and electrical engineering industry but here it was relatively smaller - less than 3% from January 1994. Public sector construction was also less than in January 1994, registering a 56% decline. Transport services decreased by 7.3% and communications services by 4.4%, the NSI spokesman said. The goods sold on the home market in January 1995 were 3.5% less than over the same month of last year. According to NSI data, the private sector has again registered an increase of about 11%, its share in total January sales being 74%. The prices of government-monitored goods went up by an average of 1.4% from January 1 to 15. Baby foods marked up highest - almost 10%. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ BUSINESS PRESS Bulgaria's potential benefit from EU preferences amounts to 6.4 million ECU, "Standart News" reports, citing estimates by European experts. This figure refers to the first year of the entry into force of the Interim Agreement with the EU. The benefit is expected to double in the following 1996, when the quotas and tariff concessions will reach their ceilings. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Bulgaria has lost more than USD 310 million from the foot-and-mouth (F.M.D.) embargo over the last two years, the "Troud" daily writes. The paper notes, that, today, the EU Veterinary Commission will decide whether to lift or not the embargo on the export of livestock and the veterinary sanctions against Bulgaria. The ban was imposed in 1993, because of an F.M.D. outbreak in Southern Bulgaria. ==============================================================================