Mladenov Heads to Islamad, Karachi as Bulgaria Grants Aid to Pakistan

Diplomacy | January 18, 2011, Tuesday // 13:42|  views

Bulgaria's Foreign Minister Nikolay Mladenov (right) with the head of the Bulgarian Red Cross Hristo Grigorov (left) during a fundraiser for the Pakistani flood relief. Photo by BGNES

Bulgaria's Foreign Minister Nikolay Mladenov is setting out on a visit to Pakistan after the Bulgarian government granted humanitarian aid to the flood-devastated country on his initiative.

Last week Bulgaria's Cabinet approved the allocation of humanitarian aid to Pakistan, much of which was devastated by the floods that hit the country in July 2010. The aid amounts to the modest BGN 117 350 (or EUR 60 000) but is in line with the trend of providing aid as much as the government could afford since 2008, a novelty in Bulgaria whose people traditionally think of themselves as being in need of foreign aid.

The Bulgarian government said in a statement its aid is supposed to help Pakistan with overcoming the consequences of the July 2010 flood which killed 1 600 people, left some 15-20 million people homeless, destroyed their crops and damaged their access to drinking water.

"Providing humanitarian aid is a gesture of friendship and solidarity with the suffering people of Pakistan. It is in accordance with Bulgaria's policies of commitment to international cooperation on development aid, which is an invariable part of providing humanitarian assistance," the Cabinet press service said.

In a statement on Monday, the Foreign Ministry reminds that in the fall of 2010 Minister Mladenov together with the Bulgarian Red Cross initiated a campaign to raise funds for the victims of the Pakistani flood.

During his visit to Islamabad, Mladenov will meet with his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi. He will also be received by the Pakistani Parliament, Pakistan's minister for economic and finance, and leading business circles in Karachi.

The Bulgarian Foreign Ministry is still expecting a confirmation whether Mladenov will be received by Pakistan's President Asif Zardari or Prime Minister Yousaf Gillani.

As part of the visit, the governments of the Republic of Bulgaria and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan will sign an economic cooperation agreement.

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Tags: Pakistan, Islamabad, Karachi, Nikolay Mladenov, Foreign Minister, humanitarian aid, foreign aid, floods, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Asif Zardari, Yousaf Gillani

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