National Assembly speaker Mihaela Dotsova met Annita Demetriou, speaker of Cyprus's House of Representatives, in Rome, the parliament's press office said. Dotsova said Bulgaria sees Cyprus as a close partner and ally in the EU and in the region.

The two spoke on the sidelines of the European Conference of Speakers of Parliament of the Council of Europe member states, which runs on 15 and 16 October. The forum has three themes: "Sustainable democracies: united against hybrid threats", "Artificial intelligence and the labour market" and "Renewing the rules-based international order: the role of parliaments in tackling and responding to modern crises".

Four people opened the conference: Lorenzo Fontana, speaker of Italy's Chamber of Deputies, and Ignazio La Russa, president of the Italian Senate. With them were Petra Bayr, president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, and Antonio Tajani, Italy's minister of foreign affairs and international cooperation.

Dotsova praised Cyprus for its good cooperation and constructive approach during its EU presidency. She said that in a complex international climate this helped keep the Union united and made progress on a number of strategic files linked to its resilience.

The level of trust reached is a solid base for building ties that serve both countries and the region, Dotsova added. She said Bulgaria will work steadily for a closer partnership between parliaments, including between the friendship groups, and will look for ways to hold a more active political dialogue on all European issues.

Demetriou said the two countries are good allies and friends.

Dotsova will speak on the conference's third theme, renewing the rules-based international order and the role of parliaments in tackling modern crises.