site.btaUPDATED Sofia Expresses Readiness to Broaden Partnership with India

India is an important partner of Bulgaria in the Asia-Pacific region and Sofia is ready to broaden the partnership with it, National Assembly Chair Rosen Zhelyazkov said Friday as he met with India's Vice President and Chair of the Upper House of Parliament, Jagdeep Dhankhar. "We are ready to make efforts to deepen our partnership in various areas of mutual interest," he said.

The Bulgarian parliamentary delegation led by Zhelyazkov is on a working visit to India which is to be followed by an official visit to Vietnam.

The parliamentary press office said that as he conferred with his hosts, Zhelyazkov expressed satisfaction with the excellent high-level political dialogue and the relations of traditional friendship, comprehensive cooperation and dynamic partnership between Bulgaria and India. “Our country recognizes India's growing global weight as an increasingly important political and economic power, as well as its leadership in science, technology and innovation,” he said.

He is further quoted as saying that his visit is an expression of Bulgaria's aspiration to strengthen the high-level political dialogue and seek opportunities to build on bilateral ties within the framework of the EU-India strategic partnership and the EU Strategy for the Indo-Pacific Region.

After the talks, Zhelyazkov told the press that several bilateral topics were identified, mostly in the spheres of education, culture and youth. A programme for cooperation in science and technology should be signed this year to allow the resumption of the Bulgarian course at Delhi University and provide an opportunity to promote investment in the context of the expected signing of the EU-India free trade agreement. He also said that India is seeking Bulgaria's support for its initiatives, including one on disaster and crisis resilience. He would talk to Foreign Minister Mariya Gabriel so that an agreement on these matters be reached during her visit to India.

India is also seeking support from Bulgaria for its bid for a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, said Zhelyazkov. "We will consider the possibilities of seeking reciprocal support, although it is very early for our bid, but support from friends and partners is sought even when it is early," he added. 

He described his meeting with Jagdeep Dhankhar as "a high-level political expression of the will to restore the intensity of relations between Bulgaria and India, which, in his words, are traditional, but in recent years, maybe due to Bulgaria's domestic situation, have been put on the back burner". "The role of Asia in the coming years will grow tremendously and it will be one of the main geopolitical and geo-economic players in the world order," Rosen Zhelyazkov said. 

He underscored that the two countries have no unresolved bilateral issues. "We have the task to encourage bilateral investments, the third largest Internet provider in India is a Bulgarian company with nearly 1 million households covered by its service. This is the way we should look for new markets and new opportunities," the Parliament leader said. 

Zhelyazkov presented to Jagdeep Dhankhar a replica of a rhyton from the Thracian silver treasure from Borovo. The treasure is in the National History Museum in Sofia. A copy of it can be seen at the Ruse History Museum. 

The Speaker of the Parliament and the delegation paid floral tributes to the Mahatma Gandhi monument in the courtyard of the Indian Parliament.

Later in the day the leader of the Bulgarian legislature also conferred with the Speaker of the Lower House of India's Parliament, Om Birla. 

It is a priority for Bulgaria to maintain the positive momentum in bilateral relations with India, National Assembly Chair Rosen Zhelyazkov said, quoted by the press office of Parliament.  
  
Zhelyazkov expressed satisfaction with the resumption of the traditionally good and friendly relations between representatives of the legislative institutions of Bulgaria and India after the COVID-19 pandemic. “We cannot but be satisfied with the existence of a broad institutional framework and a solid contractual and legal basis for bilateral cooperation,” he said.  
  
It is Bulgaria's wish that the excellent high-level political dialogue between the two countries be expanded and contribute to more fruitful cooperation in various areas of mutual interest such as foreign policy, economy, investment, connectivity, human rights, security and defence. 
 
There is untapped potential in the areas of economy, defence, science, innovation, technology, culture and education, Zhelyazkov stressed. He highlighted information and telecommunications technologies, energy, automotive components, electronics, textiles and clothing, pharmaceuticals, agriculture and the food industry as important areas of mutual interest.  
  
Zhelyazkov pointed out that bilateral trade has been growing in recent years, but it is necessary to work on attracting mutual investments. Bulgaria and India should take advantage of their complementary competitive advantages to enhance economic cooperation and synergy between the two countries, he added.