Ambassador Panayotov held a meeting with Congresswoman Young Kim, representing the state of California. Congresswoman Kim is a member of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Europe, the House Financial Services Committee, and the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party.
A South Korean-born American politician, she has extensive knowledge of the U.S. Visa Waiver Program accession process, which was one of the main topics of discussion. The Bulgarian Ambassador provided an update on Bulgaria’s progress toward joining the program and the ongoing efforts to successfully complete the process. He also outlined key Bulgarian-American projects in the areas of defense, security, and energy, highlighting opportunities to further strengthen bilateral relations. He emphasized the presence of a significant Bulgarian community in California, which contributes to the state’s prosperity and cultural diversity.
With a population of 39 million, California is the most populous U.S. state, the third largest by territory, and boasts the largest economy of any state, with a gross domestic product of $4 trillion—accounting for one-seventh of the U.S. GDP.
