Bulgaria's prime minister Sergey Stanishev will visit the US June 14 – 18 at the official invitation of US president George Bush, the Bulgarian National Radio reported.

Mr. Stanishev will meet with president Bush as well as with Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the US House of Representatives, with the US Secretary Homeland Security Michael Chernoff, the US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, the Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman, and with the Department of Commerce Deputy Secretary John J. Sullivan.

On June 16 the prime minister will open an investment forum organized by Harvard Club of New York. Mr. Stanishev will talk about the political and economic situation in Bulgaria and about the investment opportunities the country can offer.

On June 17 Stanishev will visit the Woodrow Wilson International Center, where he will give a lecture on the role of the Balkans and the Black Sea Region in the system of transatlantic security.

Also on June 17, Bulgaria's Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivaylo Kalfin and the US Secretary Homeland Security Michael Chernoff will sign an agreement on the Program for non-visa travel.

„This agreement is a sign that Bulgaria has already walked the hardest part of the road,”said Bulgaria's ambassador to the US Mrs. Elena Poptodorova, “I want to remind you that countries such as Romania, Poland and Croatia have not yet reached that moment. This agreement means that Bulgaria is a real candidate for inclusion in the program and the issue will be discussed in Congress when we introduce the electronic passports, “she added.

PM Stanishev and Mr. George Bush will meet June 18 to discuss issues such as Bulgaria's inclusion in the US non-visa regime, as well as the countries' relations in the areas of trade and military and economic cooperation.

Kosovo and the transatlantic cooperation will be among the most important topics to be discussed.