General Secretary To Lam delivers a policy speech at Sofia University

The General Secretary visited and delivered a policy speech at Sofia University with the theme: "The journey of 75 years of Vietnam-Bulgaria trans-Eurasian friendship to strategic partnership in the new era."

Within the framework of his official visit to the Republic of Bulgaria from October 22 to 24, at noon on October 24 local time, General Secretary To Lam visited and delivered a policy speech at Sofia University with the theme: "The journey of 75 years of Vietnam-Bulgaria friendship across Eurasia to Strategic Partnership in the new era."

Attending were school leaders, professors, lecturers and a large number of students of the school.

Fostering the traditional friendship between Vietnam and Bulgaria

Sofia University is one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in Bulgaria. After more than a century of establishment and development, Sofia University has become a symbol of the quintessence of Bulgarian education , training tens of thousands of intellectuals, providing high-quality human resources and many outstanding leaders for the country.

The school has a Vietnamese language department, which plays an important role in preserving, cultivating and constantly strengthening the Vietnam-Bulgaria friendship.

Speaking to teachers and students of the school, General Secretary To Lam said that the visit of the Vietnamese high-ranking delegation to Bulgaria this time took place on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. The two sides' agreement to adopt the Joint Statement on the establishment of the Strategic Partnership is an important historical milestone continuing the journey in the Vietnam-Bulgaria relationship and carrying a meaningful message about the traditional, strong friendship that has been developed to a new height.

This is also a strong political commitment between two countries with a long history and a common aspiration to create a peaceful, stable and prosperous future; affirming the depth, sharing and loyalty in the traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation between the two countries.

General Secretary To Lam shared that as a close friend of Bulgaria, Vietnam always follows closely and is delighted with the great achievements that Bulgaria has made; expressed his deep impression and warm congratulations to Bulgaria for its miracle of increasing the size of the economy by 2024 by more than 5 times compared to 2000; and believed that in the coming time, the Bulgarian people will continue to reap even greater successes in the country's development.

The General Secretary expressed deep gratitude to generations of leaders and people of the two countries for their efforts in cultivating the traditional friendship between Vietnam and Bulgaria; emphasizing that Bulgaria was one of the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with Vietnam (in 1950) while the Vietnamese people's resistance war against invasion was taking place, and it was in great need of international friends to support and recognize the young Democratic Republic of Vietnam that had just regained independence and freedom.

General Secretary To Lam delivers a policy speech at Sofia University. (Photo: Thong Nhat/VNA)

General Secretary To Lam pointed out that President Ho Chi Minh, the great leader of the Vietnamese people, chose Bulgaria as one of the first destinations to visit in the autumn days of August 1957, three years after the historic Dien Bien Phu Victory "resounding throughout the five continents, shaking the earth."

That decision of President Ho Chi Minh demonstrated trust, attachment and belief in the future of friendly relations between Vietnam and Bulgaria, laying the foundation for a sincere heart-to-heart friendship between two peace-loving peoples.

After Vietnam won peace and reunified the country, amidst the difficulties caused by siege and embargo, the Anagin pills, the precious plaid cloths and other timely support from the Bulgarian people were the embodiment of sharing and mutual support.

General Secretary To Lam said that there is a Vietnamese proverb: "A piece of food when hungry is worth a whole package when full." Bulgarians are a nation full of affection and "friendship in times of trouble is the most sincere friendship."

The General Secretary said that the world is facing epochal changes. The world situation is moving towards multipolarity and polycentricity. Peace, cooperation and development are still the major trends, but they are facing many obstacles and difficulties. Geostrategic competition is taking place at the most intense and comprehensive level since the Cold War. Non-traditional security challenges are increasing and becoming more complex and intertwined. Multilateral cooperation continues to assert its role, but also faces many challenges in terms of resources and efficiency. Breakthroughs in science and technology create opportunities for breakthroughs, while also creating many new challenges and risks.

Emphasizing the vision and relations between the two countries in the new chapter when they have been upgraded to the Vietnam-Bulgaria Strategic Partnership, General Secretary To Lam affirmed that Vietnam's development path cannot be separated from the world. The two countries developing together, supporting each other and firmly following the path of peace, independence, self-reliance and prosperity is the choice that brings the highest benefits to the people of the two countries. The two countries share many similarities in their views on a fair and peaceful world order, and support free trade, multilateralism, respect for independence, sovereignty and legitimate interests of each country.

Create great opportunities for cooperation to develop and prosper together

The General Secretary said that over the past 75 years, the Vietnam-Bulgaria relationship has been continuously strengthened and developed in many fields. However, in the face of rapid and profound changes in the international situation, the two countries need to bring the bilateral relationship to a new level, more substantial, effective and sustainable. Both Vietnam and Bulgaria have strengths that can complement each other very effectively, such as consumer goods, labor, science and technology, high-quality agriculture, etc.

The cooperation between Bulgaria's human resources and high-tech expertise with the need for digital transformation and strong development of the Vietnamese market will create great cooperation opportunities, helping the two countries develop and prosper together.

The General Secretary emphasized that the strategic cooperation pillars that the two countries need to prioritize in the coming time are being ready to jointly expand security and defense cooperation in a substantive manner, in line with the newly upgraded Strategic Partnership framework, especially in areas such as cyber security, United Nations peacekeeping, transnational crime prevention, defense industry development, and defense personnel training.

Making economic-trade-investment cooperation a central pillar. Vietnam hopes Bulgaria will become a strategic gateway for Vietnam to gain deeper access to the European Union (EU) market. In return, Vietnam is also ready to be a reliable bridge for Bulgaria to expand relations with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), a dynamic market with about 700 million people, including over 100 million Vietnamese people.

Promote substantive cooperation in specialized fields such as science and technology, considering this a strategic priority in the new period, along with education and training, agriculture, labor, environment and health.

General Secretary To Lam at Sofia University. (Photo: Thong Nhat/VNA)

General Secretary To Lam also pointed out the need to strengthen cooperation between localities and people-to-people exchanges, promote cultural, tourism and sports cooperation. People-to-people exchanges are the foundation of friendship. It is necessary to promote cultural, artistic, sports and tourism exchanges, exchanges between the two countries’ people, especially between the youth, and strengthen cooperation at multilateral forums in the region and internationally.

According to the General Secretary, the 75-year history of Vietnam-Bulgaria relations has shown that when the two peoples share humanistic values, stand side by side in challenging times and look to the future with aspirations for development, that is the solid foundation for a lasting, strong and increasingly sublime relationship.

General Secretary To Lam was proud of the glorious past when Bulgarian friends and comrades accompanied the Vietnamese people on construction sites, in classrooms, in hospitals and in national construction projects; and cherished the present when both countries together overcame the challenges of the times, together promoted comprehensive cooperation and spread the values ​​of peace, cooperation and development.

Above all, the two countries believe in the future when the Vietnam-Bulgaria Strategic Partnership is a model of sincere, effective, and long-lasting international friendship in the 21st century.

The General Secretary stressed that the two countries have symbols associated with flowers. If Bulgaria has the rose symbolizing the charming, profound and delicate beauty of the Bulgarian people, then Vietnam has the lotus, symbolizing purity, indomitability and resilience, associated with the culture of the Vietnamese people.

Honoring those good values, the General Secretary believes that the strategic partnership between Vietnam and Bulgaria will increasingly blossom and bear fruit, for the benefit of the two peoples, for a world of peace, cooperation and sustainable development.

On this occasion, General Secretary To Lam answered a number of questions from Sofia University students regarding the role of science, technology and innovation; as well as cooperation in education and training./.

(TTXVN/Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/tong-bi-thu-to-lam-phat-bieu-chinh-sach-tai-dai-hoc-tong-hop-sofia-post1072461.vnp