Bulgaria and Vietnam will work to deepen cooperation in areas of mutual interest
26 October 2021 News
The Minister of Foreign Affairs Svetlan Stoev and the Vice President of Vietnam Vo Thi Anh Xuan confirmed the desire of the two countries to intensify bilateral relations on the basis of opportunities for cooperation in various fields of mutual interest.
Bulgaria and Vietnam enjoy long-standing close friendship, and in 2020 marked the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. "We are not only trusted friends, but I believe that in the future we will also be strategic partners, and our relations will be based on mutual respect and trust," said Minister Stoev. He congratulated Vo Thi Anh Xuan on her election for Vice President and expressed satisfaction that Bulgaria is the first country on her visit to Europe.
At the meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Bulgarian Foreign Minister stressed the importance of Vietnam, which is a priority partner for our country in Southeast Asia. The necessary basis is present, both bilaterally and in the line of EU-Vietnam relations, to build on and deepen cooperation between the two countries. Bulgaria welcomes the signing of EU-Vietnam free trade and investment protection agreements in 2019 and will continue to support the Asian country in international fora.
The high assessment of our country for the partnership with Vietnam is also evident from the active political dialogue at the level of President, Vice President, Chairman of the National Assembly, and Ministers of Foreign Affairs. During the meeting, the Bulgarian side reaffirmed its desire to maintain a dialogue between the foreign ministries of the two countries, including through political consultations and exchange of visits.
Our country attaches great importance to trade and economic relations with Vietnam. There is potential for development of cooperation in energy, industry, high-tech agriculture, medicine, pharmacy, information technology, innovation and tourism. The need was expressed for the embassies of the two countries to make efforts to conclude agreements that would provide the basis and guarantees for the deepening of economic relations in these areas. "Our goal is for Vietnam to become a preferred partner for Bulgaria and for Bulgaria to become a preferred partner for Vietnam," said our Foreign Minister.
The relations in the field of education and culture, tourism, as well as the possibilities and provision of vaccines against Covid-19 in Vietnam were also discussed. The Bulgarian side highlighted the opportunities provided by Bulgarian universities for the exchange of postgraduates and doctoral students and stressed Bulgaria's desire to accept more students from Vietnam in the future. The need to update bilateral agreements in the field of culture and tourism was also emphasized in order to make contact between people pragmatic and real.
Vietnamese Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan stressed the importance that her country attaches to relations with Bulgaria as a traditional friendly country in Europe and as a member of the European Union. She assured that she will continue to support Bulgaria in international forums and will make efforts to establish contacts between our country and the ASEAN member states. The Vietnamese side expressed gratitude to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and to our Embassy in Hanoi for actively working for the relations between Bulgaria and Vietnam.