site.btaBSP Leader and Vietnam’s Communist Party Secretary General Discuss Development of Bilateral Relations in Sofia

Deputy Prime Minister and Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) Chair Atanas Zafirov and General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam To Lam discussed the development of bilateral relations at a meeting on Thursday. A Vietnamese delegation headed by Lam is on an official visit to Sofia.

Representing BSP–United Left at the talks were Ivan Ivanov, Minister of Regional Development and Public Works, Borislav Gutsanov, Minister of Labour and Social Policy, Tsvetelina Penkova, MEP and BSP International Affairs Secretary, deputy ministers, MPs, and representatives of the BSP leadership. The Vietnamese delegation included members of the Politburo and the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, among them the Ministers of Defence and Foreign Affairs, leaders of local authorities, and the Ambassador of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to Bulgaria, Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet.

“We are very pleased to meet with representatives of Bulgaria’s left-wing parties and the Bulgarian Socialist Party,” To Lam said. He noted that this visit marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Bulgaria and Vietnam and holds great significance for the development of bilateral ties. “Today, together with President Radev, we agreed to adopt a joint declaration to elevate our relations to the level of a strategic partnership,” To Lam announced. “We wish to strengthen our relations with Bulgaria through all channels – at party, state, governmental, and local levels,” he added.

Zafirov greeted the guests on behalf of the Bulgarian government and the BSP. “This is a historic visit, there has not been one like it in 50 years and it is a true honour and pleasure for us to take part in this meeting,” he said. “The relations between our peoples and our parties have a long history. Bulgaria has always extended a helping hand to Vietnam in difficult times, and I am glad that now, in a time of prosperity, we are once again together and looking confidently toward the future,” Zafirov added.

“Today’s act of elevating our relations to the level of strategic partnership is not merely a diplomatic gesture but a strategic investment in the future,” Zafirov stated. He underlined that “we live at a time of profound transformation, and in this process, left-wing parties bear a great responsibility. It is our duty to propose sustainable models of development that leave no one outside the system of social relations. In this context, there is enormous potential for the further development of our relations,” Zafirov added.