Bulgarian and Indian cabinets show political agreement and will to develop the partnership between the two countries, Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev said during a Bulgarian-Indian business forum which accompanied his visit to India.

There was a “serious potential for co-operation between Bulgaria and India,” especially in the fields of information and communication technologies, science and education, Stanishev said as quoted in a Bulgarian Government media office statement.

Pharmacy, metallurgy and wine production were among priority mutual businesses, according to the PM.

“Today, Bulgaria is not only a country with a seven-million population. It is a representative of the whole EU,” Stanishev said. The country offers opportunities for access to the huge EU market, proximity to new, undeveloped markets and a logistically strategic location in South-Eastern Europe.

Bulgaria has political and macroeconomic stability, as well as strong economic growth over the past three years exceeding EU average.

Representatives of 46 Bulgarian companies took part in the forum.