Wrapping up a visit to Bulgaria, Greek Parliament President Anna Psarouda-Benaki on Wednesday said she was satisified with its results, while noting that Athens and Sofia had a similar approach on key European issues that promised fruitful cooperation between the two countries within the European Union.

In statements to the ANA-MPA, she described her visit as "exceptionally successful, productive and fruitful," and said that her talks with Bulgarian officials had focused on two levels, bilateral and European.

On a bilateral level, the two sides discussed outstanding problems with infrastructure problems of interest to both countries and noted a large margin for increasing economic cooperation.

"Beyond this, however, it is important to work with Bulgaria in dealing with all European matters, also. Because Europe, as we know, is at a crossroads. It must decide where its future lies, what institutions it will create as the basis of its political organization and, chiefly, what policies it will follow in order to meet the demands and expectations of its citizens," she said.

In talks on Wednesday with the Patriarch of All Bulgaria Maxim, Psarouda-Benaki emphasized that Bulgaria and Romania's entry into the EU increased the number of countries where the main religion was Orthodox Christian within Europe to four, greatly strengthening the position of the Orthodox Church within the Community.

While in Sofia, Psarouda-Benaki held talks with her Bulgarian counterpart Georgi Pirinski, Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov and Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev. She is due back in Athens for a meeting with Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis on Thursday morning.

Source: Athens News Agency

^
top

print this page   send this page