Bulgarian Deputy PM, French Foreign Minister discuss Bulgaria's bid to join OECD, Euro area

Following a meeting with French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Stephane Sejourne on Thursday, Bulgaria’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mariya Gabriel wrote on Facebook that France is a partner and strategic ally of Bulgaria with whom this country shares priorities on the international agenda.

Among the key topics the two discussed were a new roadmap between Bulgaria and France, which will update the 2008 strategic partnership agreement, the Three Seas Initiative, and Bulgaria's bid to join the euro area and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

"Thank you for your support for Bulgaria's accession to Schengen. We count on France, and we also thank you for the support for the abolition of land border controls," Gabriel further wrote. Support for Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East were also on the meeting’s agenda.

Gabriel is on a working visit to Paris. Earlier in the day, she delivered a lecture at the prestigious National Institute of Public Service, where she was elected patron of Class 2024.