General Secretary hopes Bulgaria will be the "gateway" for Vietnamese goods to enter the EU market.

(Dan Tri) - General Secretary To Lam hopes Bulgaria will become a "gateway" for Vietnamese goods to enter the EU market, reduce trade barriers and support Vietnamese businesses to invest in 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 a meeting with Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov.

General Secretary To Lam meets with Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov (Photo: Thong Nhat – VNA).

Congratulating Vietnam on its strong economic and social development achievements in recent years, Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov affirmed that Vietnam is a leading and reliable important partner of Bulgaria in Southeast Asia.

Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov emphasized that the visit, with the announcement of upgrading relations to a Strategic Partnership, coinciding with the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, is a historic milestone in bilateral relations, thereby creating new momentum to promote the traditional friendship between the two countries to a new level.

During the meeting, General Secretary To Lam informed about the positive results of the talks with President Rumen Radev and the adoption of a Joint Declaration upgrading the Strategic Partnership between Vietnam and Bulgaria, opening a new chapter for bilateral relations and creating new momentum to promote the development of relations in a comprehensive, substantive, and effective manner, meeting the interests of the people of both 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...

In the economic, trade, and investment sectors, both sides agreed that these are the main drivers 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), and hoped that Bulgaria would 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.

Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov pledged to work effectively with the Vietnamese Government to implement the contents of the strategic partnership between the two countries.

On this occasion, General Secretary To Lam requested President Rumen Radev and the Bulgarian authorities at all levels to continue facilitating the granting of Bulgarian citizenship to eligible Vietnamese citizens, helping the Vietnamese community to integrate more deeply and make positive contributions to the traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation between the two countries.

At the conclusion of the meeting, General Secretary To Lam respectfully conveyed greetings from senior Vietnamese leaders and an invitation from Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh to Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov to visit Vietnam.

On the same day in Sofia, General Secretary To Lam met with the Speaker of the Bulgarian Parliament, Natalia Kiselova.

General Secretary To Lam meets with Speaker of the Bulgarian Parliament Nataliya Kiselova (Photo: Thong Nhat - VNA).

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 promoting the establishment of a cooperation mechanism between the two countries' parliaments, as well as leveraging the bridging role of the Vietnam-Bulgaria Parliamentary Friendship Group; he also requested Bulgaria to soon implement visa exemption for Vietnamese citizens to enhance investment attraction and people-to-people exchanges in a sustainable, effective, and substantive manner.

On this occasion, General Secretary To Lam conveyed the greetings and invitation from National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man to National Assembly Chairwoman Natalia Kiselova to visit Vietnam.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/thoi-su/tong-bi-thu-mong-bulgaria-la-cua-ngo-cho-hang-viet-vao-thi-truong-eu-20251024222330188.htm