Vietnamese National Assembly Vương Đình Huệ (right) and Bulgarian President Rumen Radev had talks on Monday in Sofia, Bulgaria. — VNA/VNS Photo Doãn Tấn

SOFIA — Việt Nam is a trustworthy partner and loyal friend of Bulgaria, affirmed President Rumen Radev while hosting visiting National Assembly (NA) Chairman Vương Đình Huệ in Sofia on Monday.

In response, the top Vietnamese legislator stated Việt Nam treasures its traditional friendship with countries in Central and Eastern Europe, with Bulgaria being a priority partner.

The two sides agreed that the nations’ close and loyal friendship is a valuable asset that should be preserved and promoted by their leaders and people, including more than 30,000 Vietnamese who have been trained, educated, and worked in Bulgaria and around 1,000 Vietnamese expatriates living in the European country.

The Bulgarian President wished to continue strengthening the exchange of information and experience between the two countries in general and their legislative bodies in particular.

The NA Chairman informed his host about the results of his talks with his Bulgarian counterpart Rosen Zhelyazkov and the signing of five important documents in the fields of parliament, culture, tourism and locality-to-locality cooperation.

Huệ underscored that the Vietnamese NA consistently supports the nations’ comprehensive cooperation across various fields, including politics, diplomacy, economics, trade, investment, culture-tourism, education-training, labour, and locality-to-locality cooperation.

Both sides agreed to soon organise the 24th meeting of the Việt Nam-Bulgaria intergovernmental committee this year to review and agree on measures to enhance the effectiveness of the bilateral economic cooperation. Huệ said he supports the Bulgarian President's proposal to establish joint ventures in areas where countries have strengths and needs, especially logistics, innovation, and new technologies.

He thanked Bulgaria for actively supporting the signing and ratification of the EU-Việt Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and the recent approval of the EU-Việt Nam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA). These legal frameworks are essential for Vietnamese and Bulgarian businesses to strengthen their trade and investment cooperation.

The leaders said they back the sides’ enhancement of student exchanges, promotion of their respective university and postgraduate programmes, and teaching of Vietnamese and Bulgarian languages at universities in each country.

Huệ expressed his hope that Bulgaria will continue to pay attention to and create favourable conditions for the Vietnamese expatriate community.

Given current complex challenges and traditional and non-traditional security threats, the two leaders emphasised the need for closer coordination at multilateral and regional forums, particularly the UN.

Radev affirmed his support for Việt Nam's and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)’s stance on regional security issues, including conflict resolution through peaceful means based on respect for international law and the UN Charter.

On the occasion, Hue conveyed official invitations by Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng and President Võ Văn Thưởng for the Bulgarian President to visit Việt Nam. Radev accepted the invitation with pleasure. — VNS