Putin, Parvanov hold a press conference

Vladimir Putin has confirmed Russian business interest in investing in Bulgaria.

"If Russian companies are provided with the same conditions, not even privileged, for work in Bulgaria, Russian investment in Bulgaria will drastically increase," the Russian president said after his talks with Bulgarian leader Georgi Parvanov.

Russian companies are interested in investing in the electric energy sector, are ready to invest in thermal power stations, obtain or rent part of this property. They are willing to consider joint efforts in the nuclear power sphere, increase gas supplies to Bulgaria and its neighboring countries, if need be, said Putin.

In his words, Russian companies are interested in participating in the Bulgargas privatization and are ready to increase oil and gas transits via Bulgaria.

Putin also believes that problems in Russia-Bulgaria economic cooperation that can arise in the wake of Bulgaria's accession to the EU should be addressed in advance.

"There are problems that we should discuss in advance, because Bulgaria is faced with some economic problems in the wake of the EU's expansion," said Putin.

He added that the Russian-Bulgarian talks at the top level yielded an agreement to step up efforts at the level of the intergovernmental commission dealing with the negative consequences for cooperation of the two countries in view of the EU's enlargement.

Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov said at a press conference with his Russian counterpart that Russia and Bulgaria were completing a series of bilateral documents.

In his words, these documents above all featured the agreement on mutual investment protection, the agreement on mutual social assistance of people who were in one of the two countries, and also the trilateral Russian-Bulgarian-Ukrainian agreement on the transit of spent nuclear fuel.

Parvanov also said that Bulgaria was hoping for increased interest of Russian investors in the privatization of the Bulgarian energy facilities.

Russia and Bulgaria are also interested in operating a ferry crossing between Bulgaria and Russia, said Parvanov.

In his words, both sides are interested in this project.

Parvanov also said that today's talks considered the problem of the Russian debt to Bulgaria. According to the Bulgarian president, Vladimir Putin had assured him of the quick solution to the issue.

The Russian-Bulgarian talks at the top level in Moscow yielded a series of bilateral documents.

The two presidents adopted a joint statement On the 125th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations between Russia and Bulgaria and the Prospects of Friendly Relations and Multifaceted Russian-Bulgarian Cooperation.

The two heads of state also witnessed the signing of a framework agreement between the High Arbitration Court of Russia and the Supreme Administrative Court of Bulgaria, and also an agreement on cooperation between Russia's Supreme Court and Bulgaria's Supreme Cassation Court.

Moreover, the two countries' culture ministries signed a protocol on cooperation in film production. The governments, too, signed the agreement on cooperation in the film industry.