Bulgaria takes step towards US visa-free travel

19/06/2008

A preliminary agreement under the US Visa Waiver Programme was among the deals signed during Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev's three-day official visit to the United States, which ended on Wednesday.

(The White House, The Sofia Echo, SNA, Dnevnik, Mediapool, Bulgarian Government - 18/06/08; AFP, DPA, US Department of Homeland Security, The Sofia Echo, SNA, Dnevnik, Mediapool - 17/06/08)

US President George W. Bush (right) met with Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev at the White House on Wednesday (June 18th). [Getty Images]

Bulgaria signed a preliminary agreement with the United States this week, marking an important step towards eventual inclusion in the US programme for visa-free travel.

Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev called the agreement a "breakthrough" at the end of his official visit to the United States, which included talks with President George W. Bush on Wednesday (June 18th).

Bulgarian Foreign Minister Ivaylo Kalfin and US Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff on Tuesday signed an interim declaration under the US Visa Waiver Programme. It outlines requirements Bulgaria must meet to join the 27 Asian and European countries currently in the programme.

"I look forward to [greeting] the first visa-free travelers from Bulgaria," Chertoff said, while refusing to speculate as to when this could happen.

Stanishev said on Tuesday his government was already working on the requirement for biometric passports.

"Today, because of the prime minister's hard work, there has been a breakthrough on the visa waiver," Bush stated after meeting Stanishev.

He also praised the Bulgarian leader for fighting corruption. "I reminded the prime minister that all of us have got a responsibility to deal with corruption," he said.

Bush thanked Bulgaria for the role it has played in the Western Balkans, for its "strong contributions to helping others realise the blessings of liberty, whether it be in Afghanistan or Iraq" and for its sacrifices.

The two leaders also discussed nuclear power and diversification of energy supplies.

In talks with US Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman on Tuesday, Stanishev said US investors should pursue Bulgarian opportunities, particularly in energy. He voiced hope that the United States and other countries would strengthen their support for the EU-backed Nabucco pipeline project, which would deliver natural gas from the Caspian Sea via Turkey and the Balkan states.

On Tuesday, the US Federal Aviation Administration certified Bulgaria's compliance with international safety standards, auguring the renewal of nonstop flights between the United States and Bulgaria.

The Bulgarian delegation signed two other deals: a treaty on nonproliferation of WMDs and defence co-operation, as well as a memorandum of understanding between the Bulgarian interior ministry and the US Energy Department on trafficking of nuclear and other radioactive materials.

Besides Kalfin, the Bulgarian delegation included Economy and Energy Minister Peter Dimitrov and Defence Minister Nikolai Tsonev.

Stanishev also met with Defence Secretary Robert Gates and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, among other US officials.