Bulgarian diplomat, Elena Poptodorova, has returned to Washington DC to serve a second term as Bulgarian Ambassador to US. Photo by Sofia Photo Agency
Bulgaria’s Ambassador to the United Stated, Elena Poptodorova, has started her second term by presenting her letters of accreditation to the American President Barack Obama.
During the official ceremony in the White House on Tuesday, Popdotorova pointed out the close cooperation between the U.S. and Bulgaria and outlined the priorities for the bilateral relations, Deutsche Welle has reported.
Poptodorova has also stated the importance of removing visas for Bulgarian citizens, traveling to the U.S., and the expansion of the trade and economic cooperation between the two countries, especially in the field of investments.
The Bulgarian Ambassador has demanded a more active participation of the U.S. in energy projects in Southeastern Europe.
The more specific US presence in this field would make easier the overcome of Bulgaria’s energy dependence on Russia, Poptodorova said in her speech and pointed out the importance of the bilateral cooperation in the fields of regional and international security.
This is a second mandate for Poptodorova as Bulgarian Ambassador to the U.S. She has ben highly assessed by the US State Department’s Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, Pamela Quanrud.
“We are extremely happy that Elena Poptodorova is back as an Ambassador in Washington DC. Her energy, knowledge, contacts and abilities will give a new stimulus to our sound bilateral relations,” Quanrud has told Deutsche Welle.
She has added that the U.S. and Bulgaria have close and productive relations. She has stated that her country’s government supports the international security, the supremacy of the law and the regional cooperation, especially in Southeastern Europe.
“We highly appreciate Bulgaria’s efforts for transparency and for diversification of the energy sources. I believe that our cooperation will deepen,” Quanrud said.