Iran Foreign Minister Arrives to Bulgaria for BSEC Forum

Iranian President Ahmadinejad (R) listen to his Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki (L) during a meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in Tehran, July 2008. Mottaki is arriving May 28, 2010, in his first ever visit to Bulgaria. Photo by EPA/BGNES

Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki is arriving Friday on his first ever visit to Bulgaria to participate in a regular meeting of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC).

In what appears to be a surprise visit, Mottaki is attending the 22nd meeting of the BSEC taking place in Sofia on May 28. Most of the other member states of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation will be represented by deputy foreign ministers.

It is unclear whether Iran’s Foreign Minister Mottaki will meet Bulgaria’s President or Prime Minister. Only a meeting with his Bulgarian counterpart has been scheduled so far, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Vesela Cherneva announced.

Mottaki will deliver a speech during the BSEC meeting. The Black Sea Economic Cooperation Organization, which has twelve full members, granted Iran a partnership status on sectoral dialogue in April 2009 in an attempt to expand cooperation with third parties.

This status allows Iran to take part in the organization's working groups and other high-level meetings dealing with trade, banking, energy, transportation, agriculture, health, the environment and tourism.

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