site.btaJapanese Delegation Led by Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Visits Bulgaria

A Japanese delegation led by the Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, Yasushi Hosaka, has visited Bulgaria, the Foreign Ministry said Friday. The visit took place in the context of the marking of the 115th anniversary of the first official contacts between the two countries, and the 85th anniversary of the establishment and the 65th anniversary of the restoration of diplomatic relations.

Meeting with the delegation, Deputy Foreign Minister Maria Angelieva said the traditional friendly ties between Bulgaria and Japan, the robust cooperation and exchanges in important areas including political dialogue, the economy, investment, culture, education, science and technology, are excellent prerequisites for the further development of bilateral relations and for upgrading them to a strategic partnership.  

The Japanese diplomat appreciated highly Bulgaria's continued support for Ukraine. The sides discussed possible cooperation during the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine.

Bulgaria sees a great potential for deepening interaction in trade and investment, tourism and youth exchanges, as well as in high technology and innovation, including artificial intelligence and semiconductors. The sides expressed satisfaction with the development of cooperation between the Institute for Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence and Technology (INSAIT) at the St Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia and Japan's RIKEN Research and Development Agency, and Toyota.

Angelieva praised Japan's successful cooperation with the Western Balkans through Official Development Assistance. The Deputy Foreign Minister talked about Bulgaria's willingness to continue working with Japan in this area, and its desire to expand the scope of cooperation beyond disaster management and SME promotion.

The sides exchanged views on matters of current relevance on the international agenda. Angelieva and Hosaka noted the similarity between the two countries' positions on Russia's military aggression against Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East and in Asia.