"It is extremely important for us to talk about military mobility, Bulgaria has a key role with Corridor 8."
This is what Deputy Prime Minister and outgoing Foreign Minister Maria Gabriel said in response to a question by BGNES on the foreign policy challenges Bulgaria faces and the profile of Gabriel's successor in the Foreign Ministry.
Bulgaria has more to contribute to NATO's Eastern flank, Gabriel pointed out. She commented that the priorities that the next foreign minister should fight for are Schengen and Eurozone accession.
"We have 2 million of funding for Bulgarian communities abroad, it should be spent in a targeted way, the Western Balkans is a leading issue, as well as the connectivity with Moldova, Ukraine, Turkey," Gabriel said.
She identified as leading our very clear positioning on digitalisation, supply chains, and Bulgaria's leading role in NATO.
"I want Bulgaria to be very active in the agenda of the European Union and NATO. On the Eastern flank, Bulgaria has a lot more to contribute", Maria Gabriel said, adding:
"It is important for me that the strategic dialogue takes on another dimension."
In the context of 31 March and the country's accession by water and air to Schengen, Gabriel prioritised consular services and making them finally what a 21st century diplomatic service deserves.
Responding to another question by BGNES - on the income of Bulgarians and the perception of reduced purchasing power, despite data on rising incomes, outgoing Prime Minister Acad. Nikolay Denkov replied:
The perception that the burden is greater is mostly related to the high inequality. When there are problems, when there is a crisis, people with lower incomes feel the hardship disproportionately more. That is why the government's focus is to increase the incomes of the lowest income earners. /BGNES
