Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh meets with the Chairman of the Bulgarian National Assembly

On the afternoon of January 8th, at the Government Headquarters, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh met with the Speaker of the Bulgarian Parliament , Rossen Dimitrov Jeliazkov, who is on an official visit to Vietnam at the invitation of the Chairman of the Vietnamese National Assembly, Vuong Dinh Hue.

Welcoming the Speaker of the Bulgarian Parliament, Rossen Dimitrov Jeliazkov, and the Bulgarian delegation on their official visit to Vietnam, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh expressed his confidence that the visit would be a great success, creating new momentum and opening a new chapter in the traditional friendship between the two countries.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Speaker of the Bulgarian Parliament Rossen Dimitrov Jeliazkov. Photo: Duong Giang/VNA

The Prime Minister stated that Vietnam always values the good, loyal, and steadfast traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation with Bulgaria; always remembers the valuable assistance Bulgaria provided to Vietnam in the struggle for independence and unification, as well as in national construction and development; and affirmed that Bulgaria is considered one of Vietnam's important partners in the Central and Eastern European region.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh speaks at a meeting with the Speaker of the Bulgarian Parliament, Rossen Dimitrov Jeliazkov. Photo: Duong Giang/VNA.

The Speaker of the Bulgarian Parliament thanked Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh for the warm, respectful, and sincere welcome; congratulated Vietnam on its continued impressive achievements in socio-economic development and its increasingly prominent role in the international arena; affirmed that Bulgaria considers Vietnam one of its important partners in ASEAN; that the two sides not only share a common history but also share common values today; and expressed a desire to strengthen multifaceted cooperation with Vietnam to maximize the great potential between the two countries.

Informing the Speaker of the Bulgarian Parliament about the fundamental elements of nation-building, foreign policy, defense policy, and socio-economic development achievements of Vietnam, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh also congratulated the Bulgarian people on their socio-economic development achievements in recent years.

Bulgarian Parliament Speaker Rossen Dimitrov Jeliazkov speaks. Photo: Duong Giang/VNA

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Speaker of the Parliament Rossen Dimitrov Jeliazkov both highly appreciated the positive developments in bilateral cooperation in all fields; agreed to continue promoting high-level and other visits and contacts through all channels; and effectively implement bilateral cooperation mechanisms and agreements.

Regarding economic, trade, and investment cooperation, both sides welcomed the fact that, despite the global economic downturn, bilateral trade turnover still reached over 200 million USD, although this is not yet commensurate with the potential. Therefore, both sides need to promote cooperation and hope that more Vietnamese and Bulgarian businesses and investors will invest in each other's countries.

Considering that the two economies have many factors and products that can complement each other, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh suggested that both sides identify economic cooperation as a pillar in the bilateral relationship, and should promote bilateral trade to soon reach 500 million USD/year.

Bulgarian Parliament Speaker Rossen Dimitrov Jeliazkov speaks. Photo: Duong Giang/VNA

The Speaker of the Bulgarian Parliament expressed his desire for both sides to strengthen cooperation in trade and investment, especially in areas where both sides have potential and strengths, and in high value-added products such as high-tech agriculture, pharmaceuticals, information technology, tourism, culture, high-tech industries, aviation, and local cooperation.

Sharing Vietnam's efforts, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh requested Bulgaria to urge the European Commission (EC) to lift the "yellow card" (IUU) against Vietnamese seafood; thanked the Bulgarian Parliament for ratifying the Vietnam-EU Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA); expressed confidence that EVIPA will help Bulgarian businesses access the Vietnamese market as well as the ASEAN market; and requested Bulgaria to urge EU member states to ratify the agreement soon so that EVIPA can come into effect.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh speaks at a meeting with the Speaker of the Bulgarian Parliament, Rossen Dimitrov Jeliazkov. Photo: Duong Giang/VNA.

On this occasion, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh thanked Bulgaria for helping to train tens of thousands of Vietnamese officials, students, and researchers, including many high-ranking Vietnamese leaders; and suggested that the two sides explore new potential areas of educational cooperation to attract students and researchers from both countries to study at each other's universities and training institutions in fields where both sides have strengths.

Considering labor cooperation as a traditional area with great potential, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh proposed that the two governments soon sign a government-level agreement to facilitate businesses implementing labor cooperation projects in Bulgaria, especially in healthcare, construction, garment manufacturing, and agriculture. The Speaker of the Bulgarian Parliament stated that Bulgarian businesses welcome highly skilled Vietnamese workers to work there.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh expressed his gratitude and requested the Bulgarian Government and Parliament to continue paying attention to and creating favorable conditions for Vietnamese citizens to live, work, and study stably in Bulgaria, contributing to promoting the role of a bridge between the two countries.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh meets with Speaker of the Bulgarian Parliament Rossen Dimitrov Jeliazkov. Photo: Duong Giang/VNA

The two sides also exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual concern. The Prime Minister requested Bulgaria's support for the positions and views of ASEAN and Vietnam on the East Sea issue, including ensuring the safety and freedom of navigation and overflight; and the peaceful resolution of disputes in accordance with international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The Prime Minister affirmed that Vietnam is ready to be a gateway and bridge for Bulgaria to cooperate more deeply with ASEAN.

On this occasion, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh respectfully requested the Speaker of the Bulgarian Parliament to convey an invitation to Bulgarian Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov to visit Vietnam; and thanked the Bulgarian Prime Minister for inviting Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh to visit Bulgaria...

According to VNA/News Agency

Source