Bulgarian Foreign Minister Ivailo Kalfin has assured his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Ohryzko that Bulgaria actively supports all processes linked to Ukraine's Nato application.

At the April 3 2008 Nato summit in Bucharest, it was agreed to invite Ukraine to join Nato. Nato foreign ministers are to discuss progress in reforms in Ukraine at a summit in December 2008.

According to a Bulgarian Foreign Ministry statement issued after Ohryzko's April 22 visit to Sofia, Kalfin emphasised the fact that Ukraine participated in Nato overseas missions and contributed significantly to security.

Kalfin said that Bulgaria's position was that Nato expansion contributed to a wider zone of security. This could not be linked to animosity among neighbouring countries, but rather was an important instrument guaranteeing collective security against the new threats being faced in the 21st century, Kalfin said.

Bulgaria would support the possible signing of an agreement on more intense co-operation between Ukraine and the European Union, Kalfin said.

Kalfin and Ohryzko discussed issues related to bilateral co-operation and current developments in the Balkans. The two signed a "plan of consultations" between the two countries' ministries for 2008.

During the visit, the executive director of Bulgaria's Kozloduy nuclear power station, Ivan Genov, and the chairperson of the management board of Ukraine's Radi-Kirovohrad nuclear power station Evgenyi Bahmach signed a 67 million euro agreement on the replacement of the security control systems of Kozloduy's units 5 and 6.

Kalfin said that, given that as of 2008 Bulgarian citizens were able to travel visa-free to Ukraine, Bulgaria would make every effort to liberalise visa rules for Ukrainians within the EU.

According to a report by Bulgarian news agency BTA, total trade between Bulgaria and Ukraine adds up to $2 billion a year, and more than 100 000 Ukrainian tourists visited Bulgaria in 2007.

A joint economic conference will convene in Kiev in June after a four-year break, and Ukrainian president Viktor Yushchenko is expected to visit Bulgaria in 2008. Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev and Parliamentary Speaker Georgi Pirinski are also expected to visit Ukraine in 2008, and Kalfin has already accepted an invitation to do so.

Kalfin expressed his gratitude to Ohryzko for Ukraine's friendly policy towards the large Bulgarian community in Ukraine, estimated to number 200 000.

At a meeting, Ohryzko and Stanishev emphasised the potential for Bulgaria and Ukraine to co-operate in energy, tourism, mechanical engineering, transport and culture.