"It is possible to write off some of the debts owed by Afghanistan to Bulgaria. Afghanistan owes Bulgaria USD 40 M in principal alone. We may write off between 5 and 10 million of that amount," Finance Minister Milen Velchev said before leaving for Tokyo. He leads the Bulgarian delegation that will participate in the International Conference on Reconstruction Assistance to Afghanistan on January 21-22. The four conference co-hosts -- Japan, the United States, the European Union and Saudi Arabia -- are expected to broadly share the bulk of the financial burden for rebuilding Afghanistan. Officials from more than 60 governments and international organizations will meet in Tokyo on Monday and Tuesday to pledge funds for a reconstruction process that aid experts estimate will take USD 15 BLN over a decade, much of it in the initial stage. Bulgaria will seek participation of Bulgarian, mainly construction companies, in projects for Afghanistan’s reconstruction, it merged earlier in the week. During the visit to Japan Velchev will meet with Japanese House of Representatives Speaker Tamisuke Watanuki, Finance Minister Masajuro Shiokawa and Japanese Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) Governor Kyosuke Shinozawa.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!