An important meeting took place on Tuesday between the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria Ivan Kondov and the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America (USA) to Bulgaria Kenneth Merten. The main topic of the conversation was Bulgaria's inclusion in the US Visa-Free Travel Program.
This meeting reinforces Bulgaria's desire to deepen the strategic partnership with the US and emphasizes the importance of joint efforts in the field of security, information protection and facilitating travel between the two countries.
Minister Kondov emphasized the strategic importance of this issue, stating: "Bulgaria's inclusion in the US Visa-Free Travel Program is extremely important and will demonstrate the strategic nature of the relationship between our two countries.
The following key topics were discussed during the meeting:
Information campaign: A large-scale information campaign will be launched by the end of the year. It aims to increase public awareness of the Visa Waiver Program and to clarify the requirements and process for applying for a US visa. The ultimate goal is to reduce the refusal rate - a key criterion for lifting the visa regime.
Support from the US Embassy: Ambassador Merten confirmed the readiness of the US Embassy in Sofia to continue providing assistance to Bulgaria in its efforts to be included in the Program.
Agreement on Social Security: Minister Kondov raised the issue of concluding an Agreement on Social Security between Bulgaria and the USA. Such an agreement would be of great benefit to Bulgarian citizens who work or live in the USA.
Memorandum of Understanding: The implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria and the US State Department on countering foreign manipulation of information was also discussed. This document was signed on September 25, 2023 in Washington during the second session of the Bulgaria-USA Strategic Dialogue. The memorandum creates a framework for cooperation in the field of countering foreign information manipulation through strategy development and capacity building.
Regional and global issues: In the course of the meeting, other priority topics of a regional and global nature were also touched upon.