President Rumen Radev had a meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban today in Sofia. The talks focused on the further deepening of bilateral relations between Bulgaria and Hungary, the security environment in the region and issues on the agenda of the European Union.

Orban is visiting Bulgaria at the invitation of the head of state. After the meeting, the two gave briefed to reporters.

Radev said Bulgaria and Hungary share the belief that Europe’s priority is to achieve peace with diplomacy playing a leading role. He congratulated Orban for his serious assessment of geopolitical processes and future challenges. The priority issues he mentioned were the strengthening of European competitiveness, the restoration of the well-being of European citizens, the effective treatment of irregular immigration, the strengthening of Christian and family values.

President Radev said the two countries plan to sign memoranda in the coming weeks to expand cooperation in the areas of connectivity and transport, use of the Black Sea ports of Varna and Burgas, defense and security industries, as well as in tourism.

Orban stated for his part that Radev, as the president of Bulgaria, has always tried to develop the economic ties between the two countries and has created stability. Bulgaria has always been a key country for Hungary, Orban stressed, noting that last year his country imported 5.6 billion cubic meters of natural gas through Bulgaria, as 85% of the Hungarian economy is based on natural gas. As he stated, Hungary has a nuclear power plant but cannot get fuel from Ukraine and only Bulgaria can help Budapest in this. He expressed his country’s gratitude to Bulgaria for making these supplies possible.

Orban recalled that during his meeting with the Bulgarian president in May in Budapest, they had set a common goal: Bulgaria’s accession to the Schengen area. He noted that hard work will bear fruit on January 1, 2025. The prime minister expressed his satisfaction that Bulgaria’s full integration into the Schengen area was confirmed during the Hungarian presidency of the Council of the European Union. He stated that his country is interested in cooperation with Bulgaria in the field of defense and military industry.