On the morning of November 25, at the Presidential Palace, after a solemn official welcoming ceremony, Politburo member and President Luong Cuong held talks with President of the Republic of Bulgaria Rumen Radev.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that at the talks, President Luong Cuong affirmed that Vietnam always attaches importance to and wishes to strengthen cooperation with Bulgaria, Vietnam's priority partner in the Central Eastern Europe region.
President Rumen Radev said that Bulgaria has achieved many impressive achievements in economic development in recent times, becoming one of the EU's digital transformation centers with many companies holding important positions globally in this field; affirmed that Bulgaria considers Vietnam an important partner in Southeast Asia and wishes to promote cooperation with Vietnam in all fields.
The two sides had in-depth discussions on major orientations and measures to strengthen cooperation and elevate relations in the coming time.
In terms of politics and diplomacy, the two sides agreed to continue to increase contacts and exchanges of delegations at all levels, especially high-level ones, through all channels of the Party, State, Government, National Assembly and people-to-people exchanges.
Regarding trade and investment, the two leaders affirmed that this is an important pillar in bilateral relations; encouraged ministries, branches, localities and businesses of the two countries to continue effectively implementing the Vietnam - EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA); agreed to strengthen investment cooperation in Bulgaria's strong fields such as information technology, supporting industries, etc.
President Rumen Radev said that trade and investment are also one of the main purposes of the visit. The delegation was accompanied by many large Bulgarian enterprises and he hopes to make progress in the coming time.
On this occasion, President Luong Cuong thanked Bulgaria, one of the first EU member states to ratify the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA); asked Bulgaria to speak out to urge the remaining EU countries to soon ratify the EVIPA, and support the European Commission (EC) to soon remove the IUU “yellow card” on Vietnamese seafood exports.
President Rumen Radev affirmed that Bulgaria, with its important geographical location, is ready to act as a bridge for Vietnam to enter the EU market.
Agreeing with the proposal of President Luong Cuong, President Rumen Radev affirmed that the two countries need to promote effective cooperation in traditional areas such as defense - security, education - training, science - technology, agriculture, culture - sports, tourism, people-to-people exchange, while promoting the expansion of cooperation in new areas such as digital transformation, information technology, mineral processing, environment, people-to-people exchange, etc.
The leaders affirmed that the two countries will continue to closely coordinate, share experiences and support each other at multilateral forums, especially at the United Nations, within the ASEAN-EU framework, contributing to jointly solving global challenges.
Discussing regional and international issues of mutual concern, including the East Sea issue, the two sides agreed that disputes and conflicts in the world need to be resolved by peaceful means, on the basis of the fundamental principles of the United Nations Charter and international law, especially UNCLOS 1982, contributing to maintaining peace, stability, security, safety, freedom of navigation and aviation in the regions and the world, for global cooperation and prosperity.
The two sides also adopted a Joint Statement on the results of the visit, affirming the commitments of the two countries' senior leaders to promoting cooperation in areas where both sides have strengths and needs, for the benefit of the two peoples, for peace, stability and sustainable development in each region and the world.
