At a program meeting of the group of the Christian Social Union Group (CSU) in the Bundestag, held in Berlin, Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said that Germany is Bulgaria's strategic partner in the EU and a close ally in NATO.

Bilateral co-operation has been developing dynamically in the fields of politics, security, economy, trade, tourism, education, science and culture, the PM said, pointing out that in 2019 when the 140^th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries is marked, the prospects for cooperation are excellent. In his speech, the Borissov also said that Bulgaria was a firm supporter of the European perspective of the Western Balkan countries and has made great efforts to bring the topic back to the EU agenda.

The Bulgarian government welcomes the election of Ursula von der Leyen as President of the European Commission and is extremely pleased that a member of the European People's Party is also the first female President of the European Commission, PM Borissov said.