“Investors look for new opportunities and connections when the rule of law keeps institutions healthy and predictable. Investors like predictable countries with a fair judicial system.” This is what the new US ambassador to Bulgaria, Kenneth Merten, said during a business breakfast organized by the American Chamber of Commerce in Bulgaria. This was the first public appearance of the new US ambassador who replaced Hero Mustafa.
“We will work with the Bulgarian government to create a good business climate that will attract investors from the USA and from all over the world. At the same time, it is important to ensure that these investors do not pose a risk to Bulgarian security, democratic values or the integrity of the financial system. The European Commission supports efforts to create an understandable financial screening to protect critical Bulgarian infrastructure from destructive influence,” said Merten.
A large part of the ambassador’s speech was devoted to energy and Bulgaria’s efforts to become a member of the Eurozone. Merten emphasized several times that Bulgaria and the USA are “strategic partners who stand side by side in solving many issues – from security to energy diversification, regional integration and protection of global democratic values”.
“We see great potential for development in technological innovation, agriculture, education, infrastructure and energy,” Merten said.
He emphasized the “great job” that Bulgaria has done to adapt to the major shocks in the international energy markets after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“Bulgaria managed to develop an energy market that plays a key role in the entire region. The US is and will continue to be Europe’s partner, helping Bulgaria meet its energy needs and gain access to energy resources,” Ambassador Merten said.
He praised Bulgaria for almost eliminating its dependence on Russian natural gas by achieving full diversification of its sources.
“This is a remarkable development in a very short period. It is wonderful to see the positive impact on the Bulgarian economy from the joint work with the neighboring countries,” commented the diplomat.
“I was last ambassador to the Balkans in Croatia in 2012-2015, and since then the importance of the region has increased significantly, not only because it is on the eastern flank of NATO, but also because the economic basis for cooperation with the United States has increased,” said Kenneth Merten.
He added that Bulgaria continues to increase its exports, which is a testimony to the strongly developing Bulgarian economy.
The ambassador said that a challenge for Bulgaria remains, for example, the entry into the Eurozone. “This leads to the full integration of the country into the European Union. Adopting the euro will make price comparability easy and will benefit consumers, interest rates will fall and it will be easier for businesses to do business in the euro area and with the rest of the world. This will make markets efficient,” Merten said.
2023-04-27 09:48:55
#ambassador #Bulgaria #protect #infrastructure #hostile #influence #Mediapool.bg
