Bulgaria supports EU’s trade mechanism with Iran

Bulgarian Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Ekaterina Zakharieva made the remark in a meeting with Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Thursday in Sofia.

“The creation of the mechanism could strengthen economic and commercial cooperation between the two countries and Bulgaria supports it,” she said.

France, Germany and the United Kingdom on Thursday issued a joint statement on the creation of INSTEX (Instrument for Supporting Trade Exchanges), a Special Purpose Vehicle aimed at facilitating legitimate trade between European economic operators and Iran.

Araghchi also held talks with Deputy Foreign Minister Georgi Georgiev, during which the Iranian diplomat pointed to the frequent visits of officials of the two countries in recent years, stressing the eagerness and political will between the two countries to expand bilateral cooperation in various fields.

Araghchi said political consultations between the two countries are a chance to exchange views on important bilateral, regional and international issues.

In a separate meeting with Bulgaria’s representative in the EU parliament, Angel Dzhambazki, Araghchi said “the JCPOA is in danger due to the US policies. We support the political position of Europe in supporting the JCPOA, but we need practical moves by Europe. According to the {international Atomic Energy] Agency, we have fulfilled all our obligations in this regard.”

On the Warsaw conference, he said, “the US could not achieve its goals on Iran in the United Nations and it is trying to form a coalition against Iran outside the UN, and European countries should be vigilant on this.”

The Bulgarian side said, “the EU’s interests requires defending the nuclear deal. Iran is a stable country in the region and the support for the nuclear deal must be continued.”

Message end/