Vietnam and Bulgaria establish a Strategic Partnership.
Vietnam and Bulgaria have agreed to establish a Strategic Partnership, opening a new phase of comprehensive, in-depth, and more effective cooperation based on 75 years of traditional friendship between the two countries.
According to the VNA special correspondent, within the framework of the official visit to the Republic of Bulgaria from October 22-24, on the afternoon of October 23 (local time), at the Presidential Palace in Sofia, General Secretary To Lam and President of the Republic of Bulgaria Rumen Radev met with the press to announce the results of their talks.
President of the Republic of Bulgaria Rumen Radev emphasized that, in the spirit of mutual trust and understanding, the two sides had a successful meeting; jointly assessing the state of cooperation between the two countries, agreeing on major directions to expand and deepen traditional areas of cooperation, and identifying new areas of cooperation where both countries have potential and needs.
The two sides also had extensive discussions on regional and international issues of mutual interest. Vietnam and Bulgaria agreed to establish a Strategic Partnership.
In 2025, the two countries will celebrate the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. This is an important event, contributing to further deepening, strengthening, and enhancing the effectiveness of the traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation between Vietnam and Bulgaria.
Bulgaria has made a positive contribution to Vietnam's construction and development, helping Vietnam develop its human resources and train many highly skilled workers; they serve as a bridge in the cooperative relationship between the two countries.
President of the Republic of Bulgaria Rumen Radev expressed his interest, admiration, and congratulations on the great achievements Vietnam has made in its renovation, national development, and international integration; stating that, with its economic development achievements and increasingly high political standing, Vietnam is an important factor in Southeast Asia.
Looking ahead, President Rumen Radev hopes that the two countries will strengthen effective cooperation in traditional areas such as defense and security, education and training, science and technology, agriculture, culture and sports, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges.
This visit opens up new opportunities and perspectives in bilateral relations and deepens cooperation between the two countries.
At the press conference, General Secretary To Lam stated that, based on the positive developments and great achievements of Vietnam-Bulgaria relations after 75 years of establishing diplomatic relations, and with firm confidence in the bright future of bilateral relations, the two sides have adopted a Joint Declaration on establishing a Vietnam-Bulgaria Strategic Partnership.
This is a significant milestone, laying the foundation for elevating bilateral relations to a new level, for the benefit of the people of both countries, and for peace, stability, and development in the region and the world.
This cooperation framework will create a solid foundation to strengthen and further deepen Vietnam-Bulgaria relations, maximizing each other's strengths so that both countries can continue to develop rapidly and sustainably in the new situation.
In order to realize the content of the Joint Statement and usher bilateral relations into a new era of development, the General Secretary stated that the two sides had exchanged views and reached a high level of agreement on six groups of solutions: Strengthening political trust through continuing to promote exchanges of delegations and high-level contacts through all channels of the Party, State, Parliament, and people-to-people exchanges, both within bilateral and multilateral frameworks; agreeing to continue promoting existing cooperation mechanisms, expanding new cooperation mechanisms, and deepening specialized cooperation.
Both sides will strengthen cooperation in the field of defense and security, in line with the current Strategic Partnership framework; they agreed to promote cooperation in training and academic exchange between defense academies and research institutions, and cooperation in the fields of UN peacekeeping, cybersecurity, military medicine, etc.
Against the backdrop of significant global economic challenges, the two countries agreed to closely coordinate, making economic, trade, and investment cooperation a central pillar in their Strategic Partnership; committed to closely coordinating efforts to maintain and strengthen free trade; strongly promote trade and investment through opening up markets to each other; effectively implement the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), with the goal of doubling bilateral trade turnover in the coming years; and be ready to serve as a "gateway" for Vietnamese and Bulgarian goods to penetrate the ASEAN and EU markets.
Both sides agreed to make scientific and technological cooperation a key pillar in the Vietnam-Bulgaria Strategic Partnership, expanding cooperation in areas where both sides have strengths and needs, such as training human resources in information technology in the fields of digital transformation, digital economy, digital infrastructure and e-government, pharmaceuticals and biomedical science, artificial intelligence (AI) and modern computer science, green energy, etc.
Recognizing that cooperation in traditional fields such as education and training, culture, tourism, health, labor, and agriculture still has much room for development in the context of the new relationship, both sides agreed to promote cooperation in training high-quality human resources, developing cultural and tourism programs and activities, exhibitions, and musical exchanges... to enhance understanding and exchange between the people of the two countries; and to continue facilitating the Vietnamese community's increasingly deep integration and positive contribution to the traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation between the two countries.
Both sides strengthened the exchange of views on issues of common interest, promoted cooperation in addressing traditional and non-traditional security issues, coordinated closely and supported each other in multilateral forums such as the United Nations, ASEAN-EU, and ASEM to maintain peace, stability, and development in each region and the world; emphasized support for the position of ensuring security, safety, and freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea; upheld the rule of law, resolved disputes through peaceful means, and refrained from the use or threat of force in international relations, in accordance with international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Building on 75 years of traditional friendly relations, and with the strong determination of the leaders and people of both countries, the General Secretary firmly believes that the establishment of the Vietnam-Bulgaria Strategic Partnership will open a new era of cooperation for both countries, for the development of each country and for the common peace and prosperity of the region and the world.
