Vietnamese Ambassador to Bulgaria Do Hoang Long said that President Rumen Radev's visit took place at a time when the traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation between the two countries had many developments. This was the first visit in 11 years by the Bulgarian President and also the first visit to Vietnam by Mr. Rumen Radev as President; it was the third high-level delegation exchange in the past two years. "For Vietnam, President Rumen Radev was honored to be the first head of state to be officially welcomed by President Luong Cuong in Vietnam since taking office. This demonstrates the respect, affection and good feelings that the State and people of Vietnam always have for Bulgaria as a traditional, trustworthy, loyal friend and one of Vietnam's important partners in the Balkans region," the Ambassador shared.

General Secretary To Lam met with Bulgarian President Rumen Radev on the occasion of attending United Nations conferences in the US in September. Photo: VNA

The visit is the result of the good cooperation between the two countries on both bilateral and multilateral levels, taking place at a time when the two countries are preparing to enter 2025 - the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations; creating great momentum for the two countries to strive to develop the relationship towards new heights. Talking about the history of Vietnam-Bulgaria relations, Ambassador Do Hoang Long said that in 1950, Bulgaria was one of the first 10 countries in the world to recognize and officially establish diplomatic relations with Vietnam. During the years when Vietnam fought for independence and to protect the Fatherland, Bulgaria always provided valuable support both materially and spiritually. In particular, Bulgaria helped train more than 3,600 scientists, experts and more than 30,000 skilled workers in many fields such as construction, architecture, information technology, biochemistry, agriculture, machinery manufacturing, medicine and pharmacy... Many people have become senior leaders or leading scientists, experts and engineers of Vietnam, including former National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung, former Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan... The Ambassador said that these are invaluable assets, positive factors contributing to strengthening the traditional friendly and cooperative relationship between Vietnam and Bulgaria. Although the relationship between the two countries has been somewhat interrupted due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, with the determination of senior leaders, the Vietnam-Bulgaria relationship is on the way to recovery and strong development. During meetings at all levels, Bulgarian leaders expressed their affection, valued the traditional historical relationship and expressed admiration for Vietnam's achievements in socio-economic development and international integration, and were ready to act as a bridge to promote extensive cooperation between Vietnam and EU countries and the Balkans region. Vietnam-Bulgaria trade turnover doubled from 102.5 million USD to 211.5 million USD in the 2015-2023 period and is forecast to reach approximately 300 million USD in 2024 (an increase of more than 20% compared to 2023). Cooperation in politics, economics - trade, investment, education - training, science - technology, culture - tourism, national defense - security, labor, justice, etc. has achieved positive results.

Bulgarian President Rumen Radev and Ambassador Do Hoang Long. Photo: Vietnamese Embassy in Bulgaria

The Ambassador emphasized that President Rumen Radev's visit is expected to promote and deepen the traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation between the two countries, especially in areas where one side has advantages and the other has needs. The Ambassador said that digital transformation and green transformation have become top priorities for most countries, including Bulgaria. Since 2020, the Bulgarian Government has launched the National Digital Transformation Strategy for the period 2020-2030. In 2024, the Bulgarian Government will continue to update and revise the National Digital Transformation Action Program to 2030, focusing on improving people's knowledge and skills to adapt to the digital age. The information and communications technology industry currently contributes about 7.4% of Bulgaria's GDP and has continuously grown at double-digit rates (an average of 17%/year in the past 3 years). At the 24th meeting of the Vietnam-Bulgaria Intergovernmental Committee (May 2024), the two sides discussed many new cooperation contents, in line with trends such as digital economy, e-government, sustainable energy development... Accompanying President Rumen Radev to visit Vietnam were dozens of enterprises in the fields of information technology and high technology. According to the Ambassador, this is a very good foundation for Vietnam and Bulgaria to continue to strengthen cooperation and exchange experiences... Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/tong-thong-bulgaria-tham-viet-nam-su-coi-trong-quy-men-va-tinh-cam-tot-dep-2344600.html