Nothing Wrong in Cooperation with North Korea, Bulgarian FM

Bulgaria's Foreign Minister Kristian Vigenin believes there is nothing wrong in signing an intergovernmental cooperation agreement with North Korea.

"In October 2010, Foreign Minister Nikolay Mladenov proposed such a program, and it was ratified for a period of 3 years. All we are doing is renewing this framework agreement", Vigenin said.

On Wednesday, Bulgaria's cabinet formally approved a draft intergovernmental program for cooperation with North Korea in the areas of research, education and culture. This stirred some public outcry and social media went viral with posts about how Bulgaria was revisiting its communist-era ties.

"In the past, activities under this agreement have been rather limited, mostly exchanged participation in film and cultural festivals. As for the media, we hardly have something to learn from the North Koreans, but perhaps we can be helpful in some ways", the minister added.

Vigenin specified that Bulgaria, like all other EU member states, has a diplomatic mission in Pyongyang, and such agreements are nothing unusual.

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