ATHENS

Bulgaria and the UK on Wednesday pledged to continue supporting Ukraine and providing all necessary assistance to Kyiv.

The pledges were made during a meeting between Bulgarian Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov, Foreign Minister and Deputy Premier Maria Gabriel, and visiting British Foreign Secretary David Cameron, state-run BTA news agency reported.

Cameron is visiting at Gabriel's invitation as part of the enhanced political dialogue between Sofia and London over the last six months, the news agency said, citing the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry statement issued earlier in the day.

The two sides discussed different issues of common interest, with a focus on the war in Ukraine and immigrant issues, as well as several other topics of European significance, Denkov told a news briefing following their meeting.

The Bulgarian premier said the talks focused on the war in Ukraine, and that both sides agreed to continue assisting Kyiv.

"We agree that the Ukrainian troops are fighting for Europe's future on that front. This isn't a national concern. This is an issue that will shape historical developments in Europe and around the world in the coming years and, most likely, decades. That is why it is our common cause to assist Ukraine so that Russia does not win this war, as it could have disastrous consequences," he warned.

Another issue they discussed in depth was irregular migration, which he described as a top priority for Europe.

"You are aware that we, too, are on the receiving end. Not so much because of the number of migrants in Bulgaria, but because we, in some ways, have proven to be victims of the problems that many large European countries face," he said.

“We concur that these problems with migration can only be addressed with common European efforts, and I include Britain in the European context as a country of enormous significance for tackling migration and the experience it has amassed," Denkov added.

"Our team finds the exchange of opinions and ideas on how to respond to the challenges together extremely useful, and it could have long-term consequences regarding some of the ideas we shared," he said.

"Bulgaria and the United Kingdom are strategic partners and allies in NATO," the news agency quoted Deputy Premier Maria Gabriel as telling reporters.

The foreign minister stressed that the two countries share common values and work together to seek solutions to global and regional challenges.