The Minister of Economy and Industry Nikola Stojanov met with the newly appointed Ambassador of Ukraine to Bulgaria H.E. Kenneth Merten. They discussed the development of the economic relations between Bulgaria and the USA and measures to deepen the cooperation.
Minister Nikola Stojanov presented his initiative ‘breakfast with investors’ and pointed out that one of his first meetings was with the American business in Bulgaria. ‘It is especially important for me to have a good dialogue and feedback from the companies, because they are the most accurate benchmark whether our actions as a ministry are timely and correct,’ Minister Stojanov stressed. He added that last year Bulgaria and the USA had a record trade in goods — almost USD 2 billion, which shows that bilateral relations are developing very well. ‘Given the size of the US economy, we can do a lot more to boost investment and bilateral trade,’ Nikola Stojanov said.
Ambassador Merten said that the American business has a good performance on the Bulgarian market, but we need to work for even better results. In this regard, Minister Stojanov explained that a selection procedure for Bulgaria’s trade representatives in Washington and Chicago is currently underway. ‘When I took office in August 2022, Bulgaria did not have a single commercial attaché in the US and the offices for trade and economic affairs in Los Angeles, Chicago and Washington were not functioning. It is unthinkable in a country that is such an important partner for Bulgaria to have three non-working trade representative offices,’ the Minister of Economy explained.
Kenneth Merten emphasized that the US Embassy has always had good cooperation with the Bulgarian Ministry of Economy and Industry and believes that more joint initiatives for the development of bilateral relations in the field of economy are to come.
