Mariya Gabriel replaced Bulgaria’s President at a meeting with Zelensky and Von der Leyen

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mariya Gabriel met with the Presidents of Ukraine and Romania and the President of the European Commission at a meeting in New York, where Bulgaria's Head of State Rumen Radev headed the delegation.

The reasons for this are not known. The protocol would suggest that Radev participate in a similar format. The publication of the meeting in the profiles of the Romanian President Klaus Iohannis and the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen is also from the day when Radev spoke before the UN General Assembly.

The last time Radev and Zelensky spoke was on July 6 in Sofia, when the two exchanged remarks about the war in Ukraine.

According to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the topic of Gabriel's talks was "the functioning of the action plan for the import of agricultural products from Ukraine and the prospects for the region in terms of connectivity." Kyiv proposed this week to regulate and coordinate exports of four crops with Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia, which had banned Ukrainian grain imports for five months. Only the first two complied with the decision of the European Commission not to allow the extension of the ban.

"Ukraine appreciates that Bulgaria's decision not to extend the ban on the import of Ukrainian agricultural products was not an easy one," Gabriel said after the meeting. "But precisely in a moment of difficulty, when you express solidarity, when you have the power to make such decisions, it is appreciated. It is appreciated by the European Commission and by Ukraine."

"I agreed with the European Commission that it is now important to see that the new decision does not create risks and imbalances in the market. I emphasized the need for daily exchange of information and communication for those who need it most," said Mariya Gabriel, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Bulgaria.

BTA quoted her as saying that providing support for Ukraine does not bring negatives to the state, and Von der Leyen welcomed the decision of Bulgaria and Romania. Gabriel also explains that she encouraged Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov to visit Austria as soon as possible after Radev criticized the government for not working to persuade Austria to lift Vienna's veto on Bulgaria's Schengen admission. "But I think when you go on a visit, you go when you're close to a result. We want to do our job first," she said.

According to her, there is no day or meeting - from diplomatic to economic institutional level - when the subject of Bulgaria's entry into Schengen is not raised.

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