Bulgarian Medics Return Should Boost Libya-EU Cooperation – Russian Senator

Excerpt from report by Russian news agency Interfax

Moscow, 25 July: Libya’s decision to extradite the Bulgarian medics earlier sentenced to death has eliminated the last obstacles to full cooperation with this North African country, and Russia will not distance itself from this process, Mikhail Margelov, chairman of the Federation Council’s Committee on International Affairs, believes.

“The return of the Bulgarian medics to their native country is a result of many years’ meticulous work by European institutions. The fact that the question of the Bulgarian medics remained unresolved in recent years has been an obstacle to all negotiations between Libya and the European Union in terms of economic and political cooperation,” Margelov told Interfax.

He believes that nothing will stop Libya and Europe enhancing cooperation in the field of health care and making every effort so that such a tragedy does not happen again.

“The initiative of France to renovate the hospital in Benghazi is only a first step on the way to this. I believe that many Russian companies and NGOs, having their own interests in Libya, will continue the French initiative,” Margelov said.

He added that Libya’s decision will help to resolve the issue of the poor condition of the Libyan health care system. “I am sure that this decision will help resolve the issue that led to the tragedy in 1999. I am speaking about the dire state of the Libyan health care system, the lack of qualified personnel and equipment,” he said. [Passage omitted]

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