April 8 (BTA) - Bulgaria counts on the World Bank's international expertise and technical assistance to help make its economy more competitive, President Rumen Radev said on Thursday at his first meeting with World Bank Country Manager for Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia Fabrizio Zarcone, the President's press secretariat reported.

The two discussed the need for new education policies to improve school students' skills in line with the present-day requirements of the economy and to raise teachers' qualifications. They also looked at ways to curb dire poverty and fight inequality.

The opportunities and challenges facing Bulgaria in connection with the transformation of its energy sector and the EU Green Deal were also on the agenda of the meeting. Radev called for a clear long-term strategy to take account of the need to preserve jobs in coal-fired power generation and to protect the country's energy independence. He noted Bulgaria's potential to harness geothermal and river water energy as a promising and environment-friendly energy production method.

Radev and Zarcone further discussed the effort to overcome social and economic inequality between Eastern and Western Europe in the context of the Three Seas Initiative.

Zarcone said that, as a member country of the World Bank Group, Bulgaria is a valuable partner to the international financial institution. Bulgaria's cooperation with the Bank is aimed to help the country utilize its potential, he said. RY/VE
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