PA President Bruce George to meet in Sofia with OSCE 2004 Chairmanship

COPENHAGEN, 15 May 2003 - The President of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA), Bruce George, will pay an official visit to Bulgaria on 19 and 20 May, at the invitation of the Foreign Minister and the Bulgarian Delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.

The main purpose of the visit is to exchange views with both the Government and the Parliament on the upcoming Bulgarian OSCE Chairmanship in 2004. In addition to meetings with the Speaker of the National Assembly, Professor Ognian Gerdjikov, he will hold talks with the Head of the Bulgarian Delegation to the OSCE PA, Tosho Peykov and the Bulgarian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Solomon Passy.

Mr. George, who is also Chair of the UK House of Commons Defence Committee, will have other meetings with the Foreign Policy, Defence and Security Committee, the Public Order Committee, as well as with the Bulgarian Minister of Defence, Nikolay Svinarov.

The President will be accompanied by the OSCE PA Secretary General, Spencer Oliver, and by the OSCE PA Permanent Representative in Vienna, Ambassador Andreas Nothelle.