Prague, 11 September 1998 (RFE/RL) -- Bulgarian Prime Minister Ivan Kostov yesterday welcomed the selection of Russian acting Foreign Minister Yevgeny Primakov to be Russia's next prime minister.
Kostov told RFE/RL in Prague that Primakov already has demonstrated he is "a good friend" of Sofia at talks during the last year about Russian natural gas deliveries to Bulgaria. Those talks included meetings with Bulgarian President Petar Stoyanov and Foreign Minister Nadezhda Mihailova.
Kostov described the rapport between Bulgarian officials and Primakov as "excellent."
In Warsaw, Polish President Aleksandr Kwasniewski expressed the hope that Primakov will be approved by the Russian State Duma. He said it is vital that Russia has a government that can make tough decisions to overcome the country's economic problems.
Kwasnieski described Primakov as a "realist" and as "a person with a large sense of responsibility."