A delegation from Vietnam’s National Assembly led by Vice Chairman Huynh Ngoc Son visited Bulgaria from September 26-28 to strengthen the traditional friendship and multi-faceted cooperation between the two countries.

During talks with his Bulgarian counterpart, Anastas Anastasov, on September 27, Son affirmed that the Vietnamese NA applauds and supports new policies to develop trade ties between the two countries.

He expressed his wish that the two sides will strengthen cooperation in various fields, including defence, security, tourism and personnel training.

He thanked Bulgaria for its great assistance for the Vietnamese people in the anti-US resistance war in the past as well as the current national construction.

For his part, Anastasov spoke highly of Vietnam’s renewal achievements and said he wishes the two parliaments’ relations will further develop in the coming time.

He vowed to accelerate the effective implementation of the memorandum of understanding signed by the two parliaments in April and agreed that the two countries still see a great potential for expanding cooperation, especially in agriculture and pharmaceuticals.

He said he supports visa exemptions for Vietnamese and Bulgarian citizens to pay 15-day visits to each other’s country and applauds the signing of a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) between Vietnam and the EU and their negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement (FTA).

Bulgaria backs the settlement of East Sea disputes by peaceful means on the basis of international law, he stressed.

On the same day, the Vietnamese lawmakers paid a courtesy visit to Bulgarian Vice President Margarita Popova and NA Speaker Tsetsca Tsacheva. They also worked with leaders of the Bulgarian Ministries of Home Affairs and Defence./.VNA