During a meeting with Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev, Vallat said the accord will be approved at an OIE convention in 2008, thus making Bulgaria a regional center of the organization in Eastern Europe. Stanishev said that in view of Bulgaria’s geographical position and characteristics of animal diseases in Eastern Europe, the OIE will benefit from the establishment of an office in the country. The Bulgarian government will cooperate with the OIE and other international or regional organizations to cope with animal-related diseases, he added.

According to the Bulgarian government’s press service, Bulgaria signed the agreement with the OIE this year, with the aim of monitoring animal diseases in the region and strengthening cooperation among veterinary authorities. The main task of the OIE, an intergovernmental organization founded in 1924, is to guarantee the transparency of the status of animal diseases worldwide. (people.com.cn)