Visiting Swiss President Doris Leuthard (R, Front) and Bulgarian President Rumen Radev (L, Front) review the guard of honor in Sofia, capital of Bulgaria, on Nov. 2, 2017. Bulgarian President Rumen Radev met here on Thursday with his Swiss counterpart Doris Leuthard, who came to the Balkan country to boost bilateral ties. (Xinhua/Zhan Xiaoyi)
SOFIA, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- Bulgarian President Rumen Radev met here on Thursday with his Swiss counterpart Doris Leuthard, who came to the Balkan country to boost bilateral ties.
"I want to express my satisfaction with the increasing activity of our economic ties," Radev said at a joint press conference after bilateral talks.
Switzerland is the ninth largest foreign investor in Bulgaria, and bilateral trade amounted to 260 million euros (some 302 million U.S. dollars) last year, Radev said.
"We discussed ways to expand this cooperation, especially in the fields of investment, small and medium-sized enterprises development, and the IT sector," Radev said.
They discussed the security of Europe and the migrant crisis, and possible Swiss support for Bulgaria's striving to enter Schengen area, Radev said.
Leuthard, the second Swiss president to pay an official visit to Bulgaria, said in turn that her country wants a strong Bulgaria and a strong Europe.
Switzerland would support Bulgaria's desire to become part of the Schengen area, she said. Meanwhile, her country could help Bulgaria in the areas of vocational education, environmental protection, justice, and the fight against corruption, she said.
Later on Thursday, Leuthard will meet with Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov.
