Foreign Minister Mitov Participates in Donor Conference on Reconstructing Gaza Cairo, October 13 (BTA) - Bulgarian Foreign Minister Daniel Mitov participated in a donor conference on Palestine and the reconstruction of Gaza, which took place in Cairo on Sunday on the initiative of Norway and Egypt. The forum was aimed at collecting resources for reconstructing the Gaza Strip and sending a clear political signal for the need of progress towards lasting peace between Palestine and Israel, the Foreign Ministry said in a press release Monday. In his speech at the conference, Minister Mitov underscored the significance of a joint Palestinian governance of the territory of both Gaza and the West Bank, which would be a serious step forward in the context of the Middle East peace process. He called on Israel and the Palestinians to return to the negotiating table so as to achieve a final and lasting solution, based on the principle of two independent states. As for the present situation in Gaza, Mitov expressed the hope that the resources collected at the conference will be spent adequately, and underscored that the monitoring mechanism planned by the Palestinian government is of significant importance. Bulgaria will contribute to the reconstruction of the humanitarian situation in Gaza through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. The Gaza reconstruction conference was co-chaired by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton, the foreign ministers of Italy, France, Japan and Jordan, Quartet on the Middle East Representative Tony Blair, and League of Arab States Secretary General Nabil El Araby. Within the donor conference, the Bulgarian Foreign Minister held bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Egypt, Palestine and Algeria. Mitov and Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry discussed the problems before the Middle East peace process and the serious role played by Cairo in the last months. The host assured Mitov that as of October 20 the Palestinian and Israeli delegations resume their meetings in Cairo. Other topics discussed at the meeting were matters of bilateral interest. The Bulgarian Foreign Minister expressed support for the transition that Egypt is going through. Minister Shoukry said he counts on Bulgarias cooperation within the dialogue with the EU for the signing of an agreement between his country and the Union. The two ministers agreed to accelerate the procedure of registering Bulgaria as a wheat exporter in Egypt, as well as that Bulgarian companies will participate in the big Egyptian project for expanding the capacity and capabilities of the Suez Canal. At Mitovs meeting with Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Al-Malki, the Palestinian side expressed gratitude for the Bulgarian Foreign Ministers participation in the donor conference, as well as for the contribution that Bulgaria will make. Riad Al-Malki underscored that the new government works actively for achieving maximum transparency in the spending of the resources for Gaza.
Posted on: Mon, 13 Oct 2014 11:30:50 +0000
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