Source: Xinhua| 2018-02-23 22:36:28|Editor: Jiaxin

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Bulgarian President Rumen Radev (R) shakes hands with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic after a joint press conference in Sofia, Bulgaria, on Feb. 23, 2018. Bulgarian President Rumen Radev and his visiting Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vucic here on Friday said their countries would further advance bilateral cooperation in all dimensions. (Xinhua/Zhan Xiaoyi)

SOFIA, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- Bulgarian President Rumen Radev and his visiting Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vucic here on Friday said their countries would further advance bilateral cooperation in all dimensions.

"When we talk about expanding our cooperation in all dimensions, we need to have a comprehensive approach," Radev said at a joint press conference after bilateral talks.

Radev in particular expressed hope for making progress in bilateral connectivity in the field of road and rail infrastructure, as well as the construction of a gas interconnector between the two countries.

"When talking about connectivity, an important part of this connectivity is the possibility for people on both sides of the border to have more intense exchanges," Radev added.

It was important in this regard to open new border checkpoints and improve the operation of the existing ones, he said.

Meanwhile, Radev said Bulgaria supported Serbia's efforts to join the European Union, and highly appreciated all the reforms undertaken, and especially Serbia's readiness and openness for dialogue with all countries in the region.

For his part, Vucic said that there were many things significant for the two countries.

He stressed on the economic cooperation, saying that last year Serbia's export to Bulgaria increased by 53 percent while Bulgarian exports to Serbia grew by 28 percent.

Vucic also said state and private companies from Serbia and Bulgaria, even those in the military industry, could find options for joint action on markets in third countries.