Strategic ties between Vietnam and Bulgaria

Within the framework of his official visit to Bulgaria, on the afternoon of October 24 (local time) in the capital Sofia, General Secretary To Lam had meetings with Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov and Chairwoman of the Bulgarian National Assembly Natalia Kiselova.

We need to make effective use of the EVFTA.

In particular, happily welcoming General Secretary To Lam and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation, Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov welcomed and highly appreciated the significance of General Secretary To Lam's first visit to Bulgaria, which contributed significantly to promoting the relationship between the two countries.

Based on the newly established cooperation framework, the two leaders agreed to strengthen political trust, promote exchanges of delegations and high-level contacts through Party, State, Government, and Parliament channels, as well as people-to-people exchanges; enhance the coordinating role of the two countries' Ministries of Foreign Affairs in promoting bilateral cooperation; coordinate the implementation of the contents of the Strategic Partnership and effectively utilize existing mechanisms such as the Intergovernmental Committee and the Committee for Science and Technology Cooperation, while also studying the establishment of new mechanisms suitable for the current Strategic Partnership...

General Secretary To Lam meets with Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov

PHOTO: VNA

In the economic, trade, and investment sectors, both sides agreed that these are the main driving forces of the relationship, emphasizing that both countries need to effectively utilize the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and coordinate to ensure sustainable supply chains and logistics connectivity through seaports, aiming to double bilateral trade turnover in the coming years. Both sides expressed pleasure at the positive results achieved at the Vietnam-Bulgaria Business Forum. The General Secretary affirmed Vietnam's readiness to facilitate Bulgarian goods' access to the domestic market and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), hoping that Bulgaria will become a "gateway" for Vietnamese goods to the EU market, reducing trade barriers and supporting Vietnamese businesses investing in Bulgaria.

On this occasion, General Secretary To Lam also proposed further expanding cooperation in traditional areas such as education and training, culture and tourism, health, labor, and agriculture, including urging the European Commission (EC) to soon lift the "Yellow Card" on Vietnamese seafood exports to the EU market; and suggested that both sides expedite the signing of a cooperation agreement between the two governments in the field of health.

At noon on October 24th, local time, General Secretary To Lam visited and delivered a policy speech at Sofia University on the theme: "The 75-Year Journey of Trans-Asian-European Friendship between Vietnam and Bulgaria to a Strategic Partnership in the New Era." Attending the event were the university's leaders, professors, lecturers, and a large number of students.

On the afternoon of October 24, local time (evening of the same day, Hanoi time), General Secretary To Lam and his wife, along with the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation, left the capital Sofia, successfully concluding the official visit to Bulgaria from October 22-24 at the invitation of Bulgarian President Rumen Radev.

The two leaders also shared the view that, in addition to traditional areas, cooperation between the two countries has much room for development, especially in areas of mutual interest such as digital transformation, digital economy, artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, e-government, etc., and emphasized their commitment to making scientific and technological cooperation a crucial pillar in the Vietnam-Bulgaria Strategic Partnership.

On the multilateral front, the two sides affirmed to closely coordinate and support each other at international forums, especially within the framework of the United Nations and ASEAN - EU.

Parliamentary cooperation is a crucial pillar.

During his meeting with Bulgarian National Assembly Chairwoman Natalia Kiselova, General Secretary To Lam sincerely thanked Bulgaria for its wholehearted assistance to the Vietnamese people in their past struggle for independence and national reunification and in their current national development.

National Assembly Chairwoman Natalia Kiselova emphasized that the new stature of the relationship reflects the strong development and strategic connection between Vietnam and Bulgaria, which is of great significance at a time when both countries are entering a new stage of development and in the context of many fluctuations in the world situation.

During the meeting, the two leaders emphasized that parliamentary cooperation is an important pillar in the strategic partnership between the two countries. Both sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in the coming period, including increasing contacts and exchanges of high-level delegations and between committees of the two parliaments to exchange information and experiences, creating a favorable framework to promote cooperation in areas with significant potential and in line with the development needs of both countries, such as science and technology, especially information technology, pharmaceuticals, and high-tech agricultural products.

General Secretary To Lam proposed that both sides should continue to strengthen coordination at regional and global inter-parliamentary forums (Inter-Parliamentary Union - IPU, Asia-Europe Parliamentary Partnership Conference - ASEP, Francophone Parliamentary Assembly - APF) to contribute to peace, cooperation and development in the region and the world. Vietnam is ready to act as a bridge to promote relations between the Bulgarian Parliament and the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA).

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/gan-ket-chien-luoc-giua-viet-nam-va-bulgaria-185251024233357032.htm