Nigeria on Friday in New York signed a Protocol of Cooperation with the Republic of Bulgaria.

The signing ceremony was performed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, and his Bulgarian counterpart, Nikolay Milkow.

Mr Onyeama said that the protocol would contribute to the development and consolidation of the friendly relations between the two countries.

He said the protocol was based on the principles of mutual respect for each other’s sovereignty, independence and non-interference in each other’s internal affairs.

He said that the Protocol of Cooperation would enable both countries to maintain regular consultations and mutual efforts in the peaceful settlement of conflicts and relief in humanitarian crises.

He said that the protocol covered bilateral consultations, regional and international issues of mutual interest, and bilateral collaboration with international organisations.

Others are activities relating to the implementation of projects through the Official Development Assistance of the Republic of Bulgaria.

“This is an excellent initiative and it shows a close cooperation between Bulgaria and ourselves. I undertook a visit to Bulgaria a few months ago and we have an invite to their president.

“We feel that Bulgaria is a very important member of the European Union and there are many areas in which we can increase our cooperation, especially in the field of education,” Mr Onyeama said.

Also, Mr Milkow said that Nigeria and Bulgaria had a good momentum in their bilateral relation recently, adding that they needed to keep it.

“So, this is why we are thinking about signing a number of agreements that will pave the way for sectoral cooperation in many branches of the economy, political consultations and in every area of mutual interest.

“This is the first signing of the agreement. We expect to further sign in the field of economy, commerce, finance etc.

“Hopefully, during the forthcoming visit of the Bulgarian president to Nigeria, we will deepen this cooperation,” Mr Milkow said.

The ceremony is one of the bilateral breakthroughs recorded by Nigeria in the ongoing 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

(NAN)