President Iliyana Yotova spoke with her Slovak counterpart Peter Pellegrini in New York. Both leaders are attending the general political debate during the 81st session of the UN General Assembly. The meeting was announced by the press office of the Bulgarian head of state.
The main topic of the conversation was the European Union's new Multiannual Financial Framework for 2028-2034. Yotova and Pellegrini agreed on one point: cohesion policy and the Common Agricultural Policy must be preserved, as they support less developed member states. It's no coincidence that the two leaders are pushing for exactly this — Bulgaria and Slovakia both belong to the "Friends of Cohesion" group, which brings together EU countries with shared interests on the issue.
The presidents also discussed connectivity in Southeast Europe — both in transport and energy — calling it a priority for the region.
According to Yotova's press office, the two heads of state were firm on one point: the European Union should not develop at multiple speeds, with larger states holding sway over the rest.
Yotova and Pellegrini also discussed rising fuel prices. In their view, there is no unified EU-wide response to the problem, with each country left to deal with it on its own.
The conversation also touched on Europe's lack of an active role in negotiations to end the war. Russia has been waging this war against Ukraine since February 2022. Yotova reiterated her position that the EU is directly affected by the consequences and should therefore take the initiative on peace talks itself, rather than standing on the sidelines of the process.