Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Bulgarian President Rumen Radev met in Jerusalem on Thursday, where they discussed means of enhancing political and economic relations.
“Today we have privileged relations with Bulgaria that are further enhanced by the Bulgarian Jews who have arrived here [to Israel],” Netanyahu said in a statement released after the meeting.
He went on to describe Israel’s relations with Bulgaria -- which currently holds the EU’s rotating presidency -- as “prosperous”.
The Israeli PM also used the occasion to reiterate claims that Iran posed a threat to global security and had to be prevented from acquiring nuclear weapons.
Radev, for his part, congratulated Netanyahu on the 70th anniversary of Israel’s establishment, which will fall on May 14.
“Israel is an example of a modern state with effective institutions, a democratic system and an active civil society,” the Bulgarian president said.
“We need pragmatism in our bilateral relations,” Radev said, going on to assert that the annual bilateral trade volume -- which currently stands at a mere $150 million -- “doesn’t reflect the good relations between our two countries”.
Radev arrived in Israel on Thursday after a brief stop in Ramallah, where he held talks with Palestinian officials.
