At a meeting with his Brazilian counterpart Dilma Rousseff in Brasilia on Monday, Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev noted that Sofia will seek to attract more Brazilian investments to the Bulgarian economy.

Plevneliev expressed hope that the intensified political dialogue between Bulgaria and Brazil will have a positive effect on the commercial-economic relations.

According to him, the membership of Bulgaria to the EU and the strategic nature of the EU-Brazil relationship creates additional opportunities for stepping up the cooperation.

The talks between the two presidents marked the beginning of the three-day official visit of the Bulgarian head of state to Brazil which will last until Wednesday.

This is the first visit of Plevneliev to Latin America and the second meeting between Plevneliev and Rousseff within the space of eight months.

The Bulgarian head of state noted that his first visit to Latin America started with Brazil, which was not accidental.

In his opinion, the Bulgarian-Brazilian relations acquired a new dynamic with the election of Rousseff, noting the Bulgarian roots of his Brazilian counterpart.

In a joint statement after their meeting, Plevneliev expressed strong political will to extend the friendly ties between the two countries.

He stated that Brazil is the main trading partner of Bulgaria among the countries of Latin America.

The Bulgarian president identified the following sectors as perspective areas for cooperation: IT, energy, pharmaceuticals, manufacture of car components, agriculture, food production, education.

A social security agreement between Bulgaria and Brazil and a memorandum of understanding between the Bulgarian education ministry and the Brazilian national council for scientific and technological development were signed in the presence of the two presidents.

The signing of the education memorandum will allow Bulgarian universities to participate in the student exchange programme of the Brazilian government “Science without borders”.

The Bulgarian president also welcomed the entry into force of the agreement for economic cooperation between the two governments, expressing hope that this will lead to deepening of the commercial-economic relations.

A joint Bulgarian-Brazilian intergovernmental economic commission will start functioning soon.

In the words of Plevneliev, Bulgaria can serve as an entry point for Brazil to the EU, while Brazil is the natural entry for Bulgaria to the countries from Mercosur.

He assured that Bulgaria will work for accelerating the successful finalisation of the free trade agreement between the EU and Mercosur.

Plevneliev pointed to Bulgaria as factor of stability and development in southeastern Europe and invited Brazilian companies to make use of the advantages offered by Bulgaria as a logistical, trade and production centre in the region.

He added that the Bulgarian diaspora in Brazil constituted the second largest Bulgarian community in Latin America and served as a natural bridge between the two countries.

The Bulgarian president commended Brazil for its integration policy towards the variety of national communities in the country.

Plevneliev also thanked for the support of Brazil towards the Bulgarian Antarctic programme.

Rousseff noted that the visit of Plevneliev came in the context of deepening relations between the EU and Latin America and was to have significant contribution in this respect.

She noted that Brazil was interested in pursuing closer commercial-economic cooperation both with Bulgaria and the EU.

Rousseff was convinced that her country can rely on the support of Bulgaria in this respect.

The Brazilian president pointed to the significance of bilateral cooperation in the area of education and science as well as collaboration in the Antarctic.

She identified the visit as being of exceptional importance for her due to her Bulgarian roots.

Plevneliev was awarded the highest grade of the Order of the Southern Cross for his contribution to the development of friendly relations between Bulgaria and Brazil.

During his visit, he will present the investment opportunities of Bulgaria to representatives of Brazilian business in Brasilia and Sao Paulo and will meet with members of the Bulgarian community in the two cities.

Plevneliev's visit to Latin America continues with a visit to Argentina starting on Wednesday and lasting until Friday.

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