The Connectivity Summit that Bulgaria will host is an expression of confidence in the government’s political will and initiative, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said at the beginning of the government meeting.

On Wednesday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced an initiative for intercontinental connectivity and named Bulgaria as the host of the future summit, which will mark the beginning of the implementation of the initiative, Radev said.

He noted that, despite claims by certain circles in Bulgaria that the government’s foreign policy would leave the country on the periphery of Europe, without political influence and without allies, Wednesday’s developments showed the opposite – Bulgaria is neither on the periphery nor in isolation.

“On the contrary, Bulgaria is at the centre of the political discussion on Europe’s economic prospects and resilience, and not as an observer, but as a country generating solutions of strategic importance for Europe’s future, whose initiatives are receiving support,” the Prime Minister stressed.

He noted that Bulgaria was among the few countries explicitly mentioned in the European Commission President’s State of the Union address. The summit on connectivity between Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East, which will unlock significant funding, is not merely recognition of Bulgaria’s geographical position, but an expression of confidence in the government’s political will and initiative, he said.

According to Radev, the initiative will contribute to greater efficiency of European policies and strengthen Bulgaria’s role as an important regional factor. “At last, we have the chance to turn our geographic position into a strategic advantage,” he said.

Radev noted that meeting with representatives of the construction industry on September 15, he had presented the government’s priorities for strategic national infrastructure and stressed that the government was working actively with the European Commission to elevate the status of these projects.

“With our initiative, they become an indispensable part of Europe’s strategic connectivity map – transport, energy and digital,” the Prime Minister said.

He said he sincerely believed that implementing these projects was important for accelerating economic growth, addressing demographic challenges and modernizing the country as a whole.

Radev also thanked the Foreign Minister and the Minister of Transport and Communications for their intensive work in recent months to turn the initiative into a European solution.