site.btaBulgaria, Vietnam Sign Five Documents on Cooperation

Bulgaria and Vietnam signed five documents on cooperation at the National Assembly in Sofia on Monday. A Vietnamese parliamentary delegation led by National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue is paying a visit to Bulgaria at the invitation of Parliament Chairman Rosen Zhelyazkov.

Tourism Minister Zaritsa Dinkova, Culture Minister Krastyu Krastev and Pernik Regional Governor Lyudmil Veselinov took part in the signing.

The two delegations signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the National Assemblies of Bulgaria and Vietnam; a Memorandum of Understanding between the parliaments' administrations; a 2024-2026 Programme for Cooperation between Bulgaria's Culture Ministry and Vietnam's Culture, Sports and Tourism Ministry; a 2024-2026 Plan for Cooperation in Tourism between Bulgaria's Tourism Ministry and Vietnam's Culture, Sports and Tourism Ministry; and a Memorandum of Understanding on establishing friendship and cooperation ties between Pernik Region and Vinh Phuc Province.

The agreements are both a guarantee for the development of bilateral relations and for resuming the work of the Bulgarian-Vietnamese Commission for Economic, Trade, and Scientific and Technical Cooperation, which will meet on October 10-12, Rosen Zhelyazkov told a briefing. He noted that during the plenary talks, all options for investment promotion were outlined, especially through the establishment of joint ventures in Bulgaria and Vietnam, ways to step up transport connectivity in the Black Sea and the Bulgarian sea ports, aspects of tourism and culture, and the role of the two countries as factors of regional development in Europe and Southeast Asia.

"We appreciate and support the important role Vietnam plays in Southeast Asia, the South China Sea and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and we believe that Bulgaria has many opportunities for development in those regions, thanks to Vietnam's leading role and our intensive dialogue, which marks a new development today," Zhelyazkov said. In his words, the traditional friendship is now taking the form of mutually beneficial projects and invigoration of trade relations. Inter-parliamentary cooperation is an important factor in this, acting as a guarantee for building high trust and an incentive for business and society, he said.

Vietnam's National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue noted that Bulgaria was one of the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with his country. Vietnam highly appreciates the fact that the National Assembly has just approved an EU-Vietnam investment protection agreement, and believes that when it enters into force, business with the EU, the Bulgarian and the Vietnamese business community will have very favourable opportunities, which will be a basis for increasing investments, the guest said.

Earlier in the day, Vuong laid a wreath at the Monument to the Unknown Soldier in Sofia.