Bulgarian Foreign Minister Zaharieva Establishes Diplomatic Relations with Vanuatu

Bulgaria and Vanuatu will establish diplomatic relations - this was agreed in Lomé, Togo, the foreign ministers of the two countries Ekaterina Zaharieva and Ralph Regenvanu, the press center of the MFA announced.

The two diplomats spoke before the EU's Joint Ministerial Council and the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States, which will take place in Lomé, the capital of the Republic of Togo, in the next two days. The Forum, which includes delegations from 79 countries, is co-chaired by Ekaterina Zaharieva as Chair of the Council of the European Union.

In 2001, Bulgaria took steps to establish diplomatic relations with a number of Pacific island states, including the Republic of Vanuatu. So far, they have been established with Nauru, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu and Fiji.

This is the first meeting of Bulgaria's foreign ministers and Vanuatu, both sides concluded that there are no obstacles to the establishment of bilateral relations. Zaharieva and Regenvanu agreed that there is potential for cooperation, especially within the framework of international organizations.

It was pointed out that, as an EU Member State, we attach great importance to the European Union's relations with developing countries and seek more opportunities for exchange of experience and building closer ties with the small island states in the Pacific. The meeting discussed a number of problems in the Pacific, including the process of decolonization. Despite its small territory, Vanuatu is one of the world's most linguistic and cultural landscapes - the archipelago is known for 113 different languages ​​and dialects. The country is also the first in the world to ban the plastic bags and straws from July 1st.