French President Nicolas Sarkozy arrived in Bulgarian capital Sofia on Thursday hoping to secure a deal for four military corvettes and looking to strengthen ties in several key areas.

In an advance interview granted to four Bulgarian newspapers, Sarkozy qualified Bulgaria as an "important partner" for France in the areas of common agricultural, defence and nuclear energy policies.

"I think we should step up cooperation in each of those areas, and I will propose both to President Parvanov and Prime Minister Stanishev that we do so," the French president was quoted as saying.

He declined to go into too much detail concerning the putative deal which could see France sell to Bulgaria four last-generation Gowind corvettes for a reported EUR 750 M, to be offset by heavy French investment in Bulgarian shipbuilding.

"I don't have a habit of interfering with ongoing trade negotiations. But anything that brings France and Bulgaria closer is a good thing, including in this case, because it is a choice that could bring a lot of positives to both countries," said Sarkozy.

Bulgaria has to modernise its armed forces in line with NATO standards, having joined the organisation in 2004, but so far has only bought one refurbished Belgian frigate ship.

It has been in talks to buy four Gowind corvettes, built by French company Armaris, a joint venture of shipbuilder DCN with electronics and defence firm Thales, for more than two years now.

Sarkozy agenda is a lot busier than expected courtesy visit, having received the invitation of grateful Bulgarian officials after the French president and his spouse Cecilia played a key role in the release of six Bulgarian medics from Libya.

The medics had been sentenced to death in Libya on charges of deliberately infecting more than 400 children with the HIV virus, but the involvement of the Sarkozy couple in the final stages of the talks has been deemed crucial in Bulgaria.

The French president can expect a hero's welcome when he lands in Sofia, but he will not be accompanied by his spouse, who visited Sofia for just over an hour in July, when the French presidential jet returned the medics to Bulgarian soil.

"The actions of Mme. Sarkozy for the release of the medics have sparked a lot of criticism. She was very moved by the way she was received at the Sofia airport, but does not wish to give any reasons for new discussions and, as a consequence, will not accompany the President of the Republic," the French presidency said in a statement.

The Sarkozy couple has come under intense criticism in Europe for "hijacking" a process that took years to claim all the plaudits and has sparked a parliamentary inquiry in France, but will receive Bulgaria's highest civilian honour, the Stara Planina medal, on Thursday.

Sarkozy's agenda in the Bulgarian capital includes meetings with President Parvanov, Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev and the six medics, as well as a lecture at Sofia's Kliment Ohridski university rather than a visit to the parliament, with Sarkozy choosing to emulate Francois Mitterand's choice when he visited Bulgaria in 1989.

This is the first time that a French president will visit Bulgaria since 1994, although Sarkozy has visited Bulgaria in 2003, when he was France's Interior Minister.

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