APA News Agency conducted interview with President of Bulgaria Iliana Iotova within the framework of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13).
- How do you assess the significance of holding the WUF13 forum in Baku at a time when cities around the world are facing increasing social, economic and climate-related challenges?
“It was an honor for me to represent Bulgaria at the Leaders’ Session held within the framework of WUF13”
- I would like to congratulate Azerbaijan on organizing this large-scale forum held under the auspices of the United Nations. Bringing together so many heads of state and government, as well as representatives from different countries around the world, requires great ambition and energy. It was an honor for me to represent my country Bulgaria at the Leaders’ Session held within the framework of WUF13.
Representatives of Bulgaria’s local authorities, including the chairman of the National Association of Municipalities and the mayor of Veliko Tarnovo, Daniel Panov, also participated in WUF13. The forum is an excellent platform for exchanging best practices and ideas related to addressing the challenges of rapid urbanization.
Today, cities have become the practical expression of geopolitics, and how they are built will determine not only the quality of life, but also the stability of societies, the resilience of countries and trust in political systems. The future should not be measured only by economic growth. It will be measured by whether we are able to create cities where people want to live, build families, work and realize their dreams. A city is considered great not because it is large and modern, but because no one feels excluded there. Technology should serve people, not replace them. Artificial intelligence, digital systems and “smart cities” will gain real value only if they benefit humanity, reduce inequality and make life safer, more accessible and dignified.
“I would like to express my gratitude to President Ilham Aliyev for the productive discussion we had”
- This year marks the 34th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Azerbaijan and Bulgaria. How has the Joint Declaration on Strategic Partnership signed during President Ilham Aliyev’s official visit to Sofia in 2015 influenced the development of bilateral relations? How do you assess the current level of relations?
- Our countries enjoy excellent relations, which were elevated to the level of strategic partnership in 2015. The processes of further developing bilateral relations were reflected in the “Joint Declaration on Strengthening the Strategic Partnership” signed in 2024 by Presidents Rumen Radev and Ilham Aliyev.
I would especially like to emphasize the high-level political dialogue and express my gratitude to President Ilham Aliyev for the productive discussion we had on the eve of the opening of the World Urban Forum.
One of the main directions of cooperation between Bulgaria and Azerbaijan is the energy sector, diversification of energy sources, and connectivity between Europe and Asia.
“There is potential to develop our economic cooperation”
- What can you say about the current state of Azerbaijan-Bulgaria economic cooperation?
- There is great and still not fully utilized potential to develop our bilateral trade and economic cooperation. During my visit to Baku, I had the opportunity to familiarize myself with the lubricants processing plant built with Bulgarian investment in the Sumgayit Chemical Industrial Park. The plant for processing engine and industrial oils and producing Group I and Group II base oils is the only industrial project approved and implemented during President Ilham Aliyev’s visit to Bulgaria in 2023. It is also the first such large investment in this field in Azerbaijan. The project of Bulgaria’s Torec Engineering, operating in the field of ecological construction, design and management, is currently in the testing phase. The project was declared strategic by President Ilham Aliyev and was evaluated as a high-tech project fully meeting the requirements of the decisions adopted within the framework of COP29 held in Baku.
As I noted during my meeting with President Ilham Aliyev, Bulgaria has long-term traditions in the field of high technologies and offers broad opportunities for the development of joint projects. INSAIT – the Institute for Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence and Technology – is a leader in this field. It is the first such institute in Eastern Europe and attracts world-renowned researchers in the field of artificial intelligence and technology. Bulgaria was selected by the European Commission as one of six countries where an artificial intelligence “gigafactory” will be built.
“We are eagerly awaiting the opening of the Shusha Park created within the framework of cooperation with Azerbaijan”
I would also like to emphasize another direction of relations that is sometimes not sufficiently appreciated, but in my opinion has great potential – educational and cultural ties. I will never forget my meeting in 2017 with students studying Bulgarian language and literature at Baku Slavic University. Young people studying the language, history and culture of the Bulgarian people are one of the strongest bonds between the two peoples and two states. There is much work to be done to further develop cooperation between Bulgarian and Azerbaijani universities.
In the field of culture, I would especially like to note Baku’s contribution and express my gratitude to the Heydar Aliyev Foundation for the restoration of the Trapezitsa Fortress Architectural Museum Complex in Veliko Tarnovo. We are eagerly awaiting the opening this autumn of the Shusha Park created within the framework of cooperation with Azerbaijan. Later, it may also be possible to establish a park or street bearing the name of Veliko Tarnovo in your capital. This idea was voiced by Mayor Daniel Panov and was welcomed with interest by President Ilham Aliyev.
“We intend to increase the volume of Azerbaijani gas delivered to Europe through the Greece-Bulgaria interconnector”
- Are discussions being held on increasing gas exports from Azerbaijan to Bulgaria?
- The main topic of our discussions with President Ilham Aliyev was cooperation in the energy sector. Bulgaria is not only a buyer of Azerbaijani energy, but also has strategic importance as a transit country to Europe. Bulgaria intends to increase the volume of Azerbaijani gas delivered to Europe through the Greece-Bulgaria interconnector.
The “Solidarity Ring” project, proposed some time ago by President Rumen Radev, has great development potential. After the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding among the five gas transmission system operators of Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and Azerbaijan, this project could make it possible to double Azerbaijan’s gas exports to the European Union.
Bulgaria and Azerbaijan are also actively cooperating on the implementation of two “green energy” projects. These are the Caspian-Black Sea-Europe Green Energy Corridor and the overland green energy corridor project along the Azerbaijan-Georgia-Türkiye-Bulgaria route.
For Bulgaria, Azerbaijan’s energy investments are important and reliable in today’s period of uncertainty and conflicts. I would also like to especially emphasize SOCAR’s participation in the gasification project of the Panagyurishte Municipality. We hope for cooperation between SOCAR and Bulgaria’s M-Gas in the hybrid gasification project for supplying gas to social facilities that do not have access to the gas transmission network.
- Are high-level mutual visits planned in the near future?
-I hope that we will welcome President Ilham Aliyev to Bulgaria in the near future; I have extended an invitation to him. He is also expecting Bulgaria’s new Prime Minister Rumen Radev in Baku.
