As opening his talks with Bulgarian leader Georgi Parvanov in Moscow on Wednesday, the Russian leader said that this potential that has been accumulated not only in the past years but also the many-year history of bilateral cooperation, should be used.
According to Mr. Putin, Russia-Bulgaria relations have recently seen dynamic development in all directions both in the political and economic spheres.
"I am happy to welcome the leader of our neighboring country in Moscow," the Russian president said to his Bulgarian counterpart.
Parvanov in turn remarked that Russia had sent its diplomatic representative to Bulgaria on this day 125 years ago, thereby recognizing its sovereignty.
At the same time, the Bulgarian president said, "our relations are not only linked to this act of gratitude to the Russian state."
Mr. Parvanov said he would like to discuss issues that need to be resolved at the negotiations. "Today's meeting will give an impulse to our relations at different levels - intergovernmental, inter-parliamentary and regional," he believes.
Parvanov also said that the two presidents had had intensive meetings in the past 2.5 years. "We had a busy schedule," he added.
According to a Kremlin source, the two leaders discussed bilateral cooperation in promoting a series a projects in the fuel and energy sphere.
"Under discussion were Russia's plans to privatize large facilities of the Bulgarian energy sector, to rent or run them, increasing Russian gas deliveries to Bulgaria and its transit to the neighboring Balkan countries," the source said. According to it, the sides also exchanged opinions on Russia's potential participation in the construction of the Bulgarian nuclear power station in Belena and the trans-Balkan Burgas-Alexandrupolis oil pipeline.
Besides, the source said, the presidents analyzed the reasons restricting economic cooperation and mapped out ways of their elimination.
Putin and Parvanov also discussed pressing international issues and their coordinated efforts within international organizations, including the OSCE, where Bulgaria will be presiding in 2004.
The Bulgarian president is currently in Moscow on an official visit timed to the 125th anniversary of the countries' diplomatic relations.
