Bulgarian Foreign Minister Daniel Mitov embarks on a nine-day working visit to the United States on Thursday that will focus on cooperation in the areas of defense, security and energy.

Daniel Mitov will meet with Deputy U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken to discuss progress in the activities of the working groups established last year to enhance the strategic dialogue in five key areas of cooperation between Bulgaria and the United States (defense and security, combating terrorism, the rule of law, energy security, education and strengthening of contacts between people).

Talks with U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz and Amos Hochstein, US Special Coordinator for International Energy Affairs, are also on the agenda of Daniel Mitov’s visit.

Those talks will focus on cooperation between the two countries in the field of energy security and diversification of energy supplies, according to a statement from the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry.

Daniel Mitov will also meet with U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman.

The program of the visit includes Daniel Mitov’s participation in a roundtable discussion at the Atlantic Council about the results of the recent NATO summit held in Warsaw.