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News from Bulgaria / 96-06-19Bulgarian Telegraph Agency Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: Embassy of Bulgaria <bulgaria@access1.digex.net>EMBASSY OF BULGARIA - WASHINGTON D.C.BTA - BULGARIAN TELEGRAPH AGENCY19 June, 1996CONTENTS
[01] FIRST BALKAN MEETING ON ESTABLISHMENT OF INTER- BALKAN CULTURAL NETWORKSofia, June 18 (BTA) - First Balkan meeting on the establishment of an inter-balkan cultural network started here today. The meeting is attended by more than 60 representatives of cultural institutions, artists unions, non-governmental organisations, municipal representatives and scientists from the seven Balkan states - founders of the Balkan network for cultural exchange and cooperation: Albania, Greece, Macedonia, Romania, FR Yugoslavia, Turkey and Bulgaria."The meeting creates conditions for cooperation of a new type. It opens prospects for the realization of the special mission of the Balkan nations who should remember that they have never played a marginal role in the ancient times and in the Middle Ages and must try and find their actual place in the contemporary European and world cultural life," Minister of Culture Ivan Marazov said at the opening ceremony. By the beginning of next year the seven Balkan states are expected to hold constitutional conferences for the establishment of the network's national representations. By the end of 1997 at a congress in Thessaloniki the inter-Balkan network is expected to be officially announced and cooperation protocols to be signed. According to the organisers, the network is intended to coordinate cooperation and exchange among the Balkan states and to set up the respective institutions to this effect. [02] BULGARIA-TURKEY: PARLIAMENTARY RELATIONSAnkara, June 18 (BTA) - Bulgarian parliamentary delegation, led by National Assembly Chairman Blagovest Sendov, arrived on an official visit to Turkey today, Parliament's press office said. The delegation started a series of meetings with Turkish MPs."We are obliged to look forward; the geographical border between our two countries should not be an obstacle, but a solid bridge promoting constructive cooperation," Sendov said at his meeting with the Turkish Parliamentary Speaker Mustapha Kalemli. Bulgaria and Turkey should unite their efforts to strengthen their friendly relations, Kalemli stated. Sendov and Kalemli were unanimous that the two countries' MPs are very much responsible for the promotion of bilateral cooperation. There are untapped reserves for interaction in law-making, economy, trade, culture, science, sport and crime control, Blagovest Sendov said. The chairmen of the Bulgarian and Turkish parliamentary groups for friendship between Bulgaria and Turkey, Ivan Gaitandjiev and Ali Dincer held talks. Turkish businessmen of small and medium-sized enterprises are ready to invest in Bulgaria, Dincer said. Tomorrow the Bulgarian delegation is scheduled to confer with Turkish President Suleyman Demirel. [03] BULGARIA, CROATIA MILITARY COOPERATIONSofia, June 18 (BTA) - Croatian Defence Minister Gijko Susak will attend the meeting of Balkan defence ministers to be held in Sofia this autumn, the Bulgarian National Radio special correspondent to Zagreb, Dimiter Dimitrov, said. Minister Goijko Susak accepted unconditionally the invitation extended by Bulgarian defence Minister Dimiter Pavlov whose visit to Zagreb began today, the correspondent said. The idea about the meeting was launched by the Bulgarian defence Minister in Tirana in April 1996. Invitations have also been sent to the United States, Russia and the Western European Union. Minister Susak's accepting the invitation turned out to be news for journalists as Croatia has been refusing to take part in any regional forums so far, the national radio correspondent said.This afternoon Defence Minister Pavlov and his Croatian countepart signed a five-year cooperation agreement. It provides for interaction in the area of military equipment, military economy and military science, for the training of personnel on a reciprocal basis and for cooperation in military law and military medicine, the correspondent said. [04] DEFENCE MINISTER PAVLOV LEAVES FOR CROATIASofia, June 18 (BTA) - Defence Minister Dimiter Pavlov today left on an official two-day visit to Croatia. He will be discussing bilateral cooperation and the military-political situation in the Balkans, the Defence Ministry said. The sides will discuss the possible participation of Croatian Defence Minister Gojko Susak in a meeting of the defence ministers of the Balkan countries, to be held in Sofia this autumn.[05] P.M. VIDENOV MEETS PATRIARCH PAVLE OF SERBIASofia, June 18 (BTA) - Today Prime Minister Zhan Videnov met with Patriarch Pavle of Serbia who arrived on an official visit to Bulgaria last Friday. "I am really happy that the relations between the Bulgarian and the serbian Church have been developing well in the last two years, which is in line with the tradition of good-neighbourliness, friendship and empathy between the two countries. You, the clergy, do what nobody has ever done - you strengthen the spirit and stake on the positive in the people," PM Videnov said at the beginning of the meeting. The Prime Minister expressed his hope that the efforts of all Balkan governments would contribute to the improvement of the situation in the Balkans and to the creation of conditions which would make it possible to avoid new conflicts in the region."We are brothers and neighbours - Patriarch Pavle of Serbia said - and we are grateful for the chance we have been given to talk as such." The Patriarch of Serbia thanked for the attitude of the Bulgarian people and the Bulgarian authorities and for the stand taken by the Bulgarian Government during the five-year long conflict in Yugoslavia. Patriarch Pavle ends his official visit tomorrow. [06] COMMENTS ON LEV/DOLLAR EXCHANGE RATEThe U.S. dollar gains three leva per day, "Troud" writes. The daily goes on to say that the lev/dollar exchange rate increased steeply on the cash market; most bureaus de change do not sell dollars, the few that do ask 145-146 leva to the dollar. (Today's official rate is 141.99 leva to the dollar) The margin between the buying and selling rates grew to six or seven leva, and is expected to increase in the next few days, the daily says. "Troud" says that the lev will devaluate even further during the week. "Continent" says the national currency devaluation will be gradual and without major shocks. "Banks gradually push the dollar to 150 leva,' the daily says. A dealer of a Sofia brokerage house says interviewed by "Standart News" that if the dollar reaches 150 leva, the central bank will intervene.The "Pari" financial daily quotes Head of the Analyses and Money Instruments Department with the central bank Marin Marinov as saying that 18 Bulgarian banks have not paid a total of 4,500 million leva in their mandatory minimum reserves with the central bank after the last check on June 15. "Pari" quotes Marinov as saying that the banks' failure to pay in their mandatory reserves increased by more than 35 per cent from the preceding month when it amounted to 3,300 million leva. [07] DEPOSITORS' LOSSES IN 1996Depositors have lost 7.61 leva per 100 leva on average, says "Troud" quoting central bank statistics. In May the loss averaged 8.09 leva per 100 leva. "Troud" reports the losses arose from the difference between the deposit interest rate and inflation. Banks paid 14.46 per cent interest on average for January-May, while inflation reached 22.7 per cent. Compared to May, lev-denominated time deposits have increased by 500 million leva in June, the central bank reported according to "Troud". Foreign currency-denominated deposits have not increased, the daily says.[08] LOW COMPUTER SALES DUE TO HIGH TAXES"Computer business stifled by taxes" runs a headline in the Socialist Party's "Douma" daily. Representatives of 17 companies of the Bulgarian Association of Information Technology are quoted in "Douma" as saying that legally imported computers are made unmarketable by 43 per cent tariffs, taxes and VAT on computer components. The daily says some 350 to 370 companies sell computers in Sofia alone. Many of them evade customs duty on their imports. The Association reports a 53 per cent plunge in the import of certain components so far this year. The figure for some components is 90 per cent. Experts of the Association blame high customs duties and import taxes for the flourishing illegal trade in computers in Bulgaria.[09] SOCIAL PROTECTION IN STRUCTURAL REFORM PENDING DISCUSSIONSofia, June 18 (BTA) - The social protection of the population in the structural reform is expected to be discussed at a meeting of the National Council for Tripartite Cooperation (NCTC) of employers, trade unions and government on Wednesday, Deputy Prime Minister Doncho Konakchiev told journalists today.The most important thing will be that social security benefits will be income-related, Konakchiev stated. Adjustments to inflation when it exceeds certain level are also about to be discussed. Additional reliefs for people with lowest incomes are also envisaged. The conception for social protection in the structural reform is compatible with the mechanism for the extension of existing welfare benefits. Deputy Prime Minister Konakchiev said he hopes concrete agreements will be achieved within NCTC. "This will be an agreement which I would like to call an agreement of social understanding, and even of social peace, which will provide normal conditions for the implementation of the difficult reforms and, what is most important, it will bloc uncontrollable processes such as hyperinflation," Doncho Konakchiev said. Prime Minister Zhan Videnov focussed on three issues to-be- discussed at the Wednesday meeting: the cabinet's readiness to pay six average monthly working wages to the employees of the 64 loss-makers the Government plans to close down, provision of benefits for the people who are most strongly affected by the rise of prices and the surge of the US dollar and freeze of the wages in the top state administration. According to Videnov, the Government will take a decision to freeze the wages of senior executive officers within the next few days and the funds will be channeled into the social sector. "We can launch a similar initiative in Parliament as well," Krassimir Premyanov, Floor Leader of the Democratic Left, said Bulgarian Telegraph Agency Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |
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