National Council president Christa Markwalder paid a return visit to Bulgaria following an official visit by the President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria, Tsetska Tsatcheva, to Bern in March of this year.
Switzerland and Bulgaria are celebrating the 100th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. In addition to the meeting with Ms Tsatcheva in the Bulgarian capital Sofia, Ms Markwalder met the president of the Republic of Bulgaria, Rosen Plevneliev, the prime minister, Boyko Borisov, the foreign minister, Daniel Mitov and members of the foreign policy committee of the Bulgarian parliament. Further talks were held with representatives of Swiss companies in Bulgaria. Ms Markwalder also went to the city of Plovdiv, the 2019 European Capital of Culture, where she visited one of the largest Roma communities in Europe. Projects on the social integration of the Roma people in the area receive funding from Switzerland (SDC).
The talks with Ms Tsatcheva focused on the good bilateral relations between Switzerland and Bulgaria and the role of parliamentarian diplomacy as an important component and complement to the international debate. In addition to these and other bilateral matters (political and economic cooperation, enlargement contribution, education and vocational and professional education and training), Ms Markwalder discussed current issues relating to European integration and the development of the EU, Switzerland’s EU policy and the refugee crisis with the dignitaries she met.