Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev said that he expects more Austrian investments to the country after a meeting with his Austrian counterpart Heinz Fischer in Vienna on Tuesday.

Plevneliev stated that Bulgaria and Austria had common plans and goals, which the two countries aimed to fulfill both at the level of bilateral relations and at the EU level.

The Bulgarian Head of State, who is on a two-day working visit to Austria, highlighted the active political dialogue and the excellent bilateral relations between the two countries, the presidential press service reports.

At their meeting, the two presidents shared the two countries' common position in support of the European integration of the Western Balkans and the ways for accelerating this process.

Plevneliev highlighted that Austria acted as an engine in this process, while Fischer pointed that European integration will be fully completed only when the Western Balkans are integrated.

The two heads of states also discussed the situation in Ukraine, with the Austrian President expressing his hope that the Minsk ceasefire agreement will be observed.

The Bulgarian President once again reaffirmed his position for peaceful and democratic resolution of the crisis, which takes into account Ukraine's sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity.

According to Fischer, the developments in Ukraine in the past year show that international law has to be safeguarded and problems have to be solved with negotiations rather than with armed force.

As regards the economic cooperation between Bulgaria and Austria, Plevneliev pointed that there was potential for it becoming more active.

Plevneliev revealed that Austria continues to be among the leading investors in Bulgaria, the country having invested nearly EUR 6 B in the 1996-2014 period.

The investments were mainly concentrated in the sectors of electricity distribution, telecommunications, energy, banking and finance, trade, heavy and light industry.

According to him, the number of Austrian tourists visiting Bulgaria has increased with nearly 40 % in 2014, compared to 2013.

The two presidents expressed even greater ambitions and stated that they are to work together for a new wave of Austrian investments in Bulgaria.

Plevneliev shared with his Austrian counterpart the urgently needed reforms, which the Bulgarian government plans to implement in the areas of judiciary, energy, education, security and the pension system.

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