Israel-Bulgaria Chamber of Commerce: Bulgarian economic attachי to return

Israel-Bulgaria Chamber of Commerce president Nir Baruch said last week that reliable sources in Bulgaria informed him that the Bulgarian government had decided to nominate a new economic attachי to Israel.
 
The decision came only 18 months after the Bulgarian Government had cut the position due to cost cutting program. At the time the decision was taken the Bulgarian economic attachי post in Israel was among 14 other attaches posts at embassies around the world that closed down.
 
Israel, according to Baruch, is the only country that is getting a new economic attachי. Baruch noted that bilateral trade with Israel in 2004 reached $98.9 million, up from $58 million in 2003. In both years, 35% of the trade comprised Israeli exports to Bulgaria, and 65% was Israeli imports from Bulgaria.
 
Israel-Bulgaria Chamber of Commerce position has always been that Israel - Bulgaria bilateral trade should be balanced. The bilateral chamber adopted a policy that would bring about such balance by assisting Israeli companies to participate in Bulgarian infrastructure roads projects, energy and communications.
 
At present 15 Israeli construction companies operate in Bulgaria.
 
Israel, according to Baruch, is the third largest investor in the Bulgarian construction industry, after Germany and Austria.
 
Israel's involvement in the Bulgarian construction industry accounts for almost 10% of the Israeli-Bulgarian trade.