At the meeting (Photo: VNA) Sofia (VNA) – National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hueand Prime Minister of Bulgaria NikolaiDenkov have agreed to revitalise traditional areas of cooperation such asagriculture, food processing, pharmaceuticals while also opening up new andpromising fields of collaboration like green and digital transformation,artificial intelligence and just energy transition.
During their meeting in Sofia on September 25 as part of Hue's ongoing official visit to Bulgaria, they agreed to encourage the establishment ofjoint ventures for manufacturing products for export to third countries, tap Bulgaria'sexpertise and technology, and Vietnam's abundant workforce.
They consented toconvene the 24th meeting of the Vietnam-Bulgaria Inter-GovernmentalCommittee this year to review and coordinate specific measures to boostbilateral economic, trade, and investment ties.
National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue (L) and Prime Minister of Bulgaria Nikolai Denkov (Photo: VNA)
Host and guest promised to fostering harmonious economicand trade cooperation in conjunction with collaboration in education, training,culture, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges, based on the signed agreements,especially the five documents inked during Hue’s visit.
On global and regional issues, they concurred on the needto enhance close cooperation and coordination at multilateral and regionalforums, particularly at the United Nations, Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM),ASEAN-EU, and others.
Hue said on the basis of the bilateral traditionalfriendship, Vietnam supports Bulgaria’s bid to strengthen cooperation withASEAN and hopes that Bulgaria continues to be an effective bridge to pushforward ties between Vietnam and the EU.
Addressing the law policy forum to reinforce bilateral ties in the Bulgariancapital city on September 25, Chairman Hue highlighted economic-trade-investmentties as a significant pillar in bilateral relations.
He hailed thesignificance of the event at a time when the two countries are celebrating the73rd anniversary of diplomatic ties. Lauding therecent approval of the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) bythe Bulgarian National Assembly with absolute consensus, Hue said it is acrucial step towards the effective implementation of the agreement, laying thefoundation to consolidate Vietnam's investment relations with EU countries,including Bulgaria.
The topVietnamese legislator proposed that Bulgaria facilitate the entry of Vietnameseconsumer goods and agricultural products such as tea, coffee, seafood,vegetables, tropical fruits, apparel, footwear and handicrafts into Bulgaria.Vietnam, in return, is ready to open its doors to Bulgarian goods, includingwheat, vegetable oil, rose oil, dried fruits and wine, he said.
He wishedthat Bulgaria would urge the European Commission’s early removal of the"yellow card" warning on Vietnamese aquatic products, and call on othernations to expedite the approval of EVIPA and coordinate in the enforcement ofEU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA).
Vietnam welcomes Bulgarian firms to invest in areas of Vietnam’sdemand and Bulgaria’s strength such as energy, transportation infrastructure,information technology, biotechnology for the preservation and processing of fruitsand vegetables, pharmaceuticals, environment protection, he said, adding that whiletalking with the Bulgarian leaders, he proposed considering the establishmentof joint ventures to invest in each other's market or explore opportunities inthird markets.
The Vietnamese National Assembly and Governmentof Vietnam are committed to continuously striving to offer all possible supportto all enterprises, recognising that the success of businesses, includingforeign ones, contributes to the overall success of the nation, he said.
As Vietnam is strategically focused onattracting selective investments with a priority to high technology,foundational and supporting industries, electronic components, electricvehicles and batteries, innovation, green economy, digital economy and circulareconomy, Hue also suggested that both sides explore cooperation opportunities inthese areas.
National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue speaks at the event (Photo: VNA)
At the event, leaders of the Ministry of Industryand Trade and the Ministry of Planning and Investment presented Vietnam’sindustry, trade and foreign direct investment attraction policies.
A direct trade session between the twocountries’ organisations and businesses were also held to share opportunitiesacross a diverse range of sectors, including electricity, energy, aviation,cashew and pepper exports, raw cotton, rice, animal feed ingredients,pharmaceuticals, and food ingredients./.
