Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh has assured Bulgarian leaders that the Vietnamese government and people want to strengthen friendship and cooperation with Bulgaria – a trustworthy friend and partner of Vietnam over the past years.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh (L) and Bulgarian President Rumen Radev. (Source: VNA)

He has reiterated the consistent policy of Vietnam during meetings with Bulgarian President Rumen Radev and Deputy Prime Minister Tomislav Donchev during a three-day visit to Bulgaria from July 3^rd-5^th.

At the meeting with the Vietnamese Deputy PM on July 3^rd, President Rumen Radev recalled the tradition of bilateral friendship over the past nearly seven decades. He spoke highly of Vietnam’s economic achievements with a gross domestic product growth of over 6 percent in recent years, making Vietnam one of the most vibrant economies in Southeast Asia.

He said both nations always work closely together on regional and global issues, affirming that Bulgaria supports the early signing and ratification of the European Union - Vietnam Free Trade Agreement.

Both sides agreed to further enhance their all-around ties, and the host pledged to direct Bulgarian government and relevant agencies to soon convene a meeting of the Inter-Governmental Committee to discuss specific measures.

The Bulgarian President also accepted President Tran Dai Quang’s invitation to visit Vietnam with pleasure.

During the meeting between Deputy PM Minh and his Bulgarian counterpart Tomislav Donchev, the two officials expressed satisfaction about strengthened political ties via all-level visits, especially those at high level, and vowed to offer mutual support at multilateral forums such as the United Nations and the Asia-Europe Meeting.

They consented to take specific measures to lift bilateral economic-trade-investment ties, including piloting joint-venture models of manufacturing for selling in Europe and other markets over the world.

The two sides underscored the need to lift education-training cooperation and tap Bulgaria’s experience in training over 3,000 engineers and officials for Vietnam in the past.

They agreed to soon hold the 24^th meeting of the Inter-Governmental Committee on Economic-Trade Cooperation and the fifth meeting of the Inter-Governmental Committee on Science-Technology Cooperation, making it easier for the two nations’ enterprises to seek partners and explore markets.

Talking with the overseas Vietnamese community in the afternoon the same day, Minh affirmed that Vietnam pursues the policy of rapid and sustainable economic development, active and proactive external relations to best serve national interests in tandem with firmly safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity./.

VNF/VNA