Bulgaria 'eager' to play role in Mideast peace process

RAMALLAH

Bulgaria on Friday said it is looking forward to playing a role in progressing the peace process in the Middle East.

Bulgarian Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zakharieva, during a news conference in Ramallah in the West Bank, said: “Bulgaria is eager to play an important role in making progress towards achieving peace, based on the relationship that links Bulgaria with Palestine and Israel,” official Palestinian TV broadcast Friday.

Following a meeting with her Palestinian counterpart, Riyad al-Maliki, she affirmed her country's support for the peace process based on the two-state solution, expressing hope the new US administration would carry on the peace process.

Al-Maliki said talks with his Bulgarian counterpart focused on "regional developments after the US elections and their effects on Palestine, and the possibility of resuming the Palestinian-Israeli negotiations."

The Palestinian top diplomat also thanked the Bulgarian government for its support to the two-state solution in accordance with international laws and its stance against the Israeli settlement policy.

Palestine-Israel talks broke down in 2014, due largely to Israel’s refusal to stop building Jewish-only settlement units on confiscated Palestinian land.

In September, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called the UN to hold an international peace conference in early 2021 with the aim of engaging in a genuine peace process based on international laws.

*Writing by Mahmoud Barakat