According to the Vietnam News Agency (VNA), during his official visit to the Republic of Bulgaria from October 22 - 24, Party General Secretary To Lam and Bulgarian President Rumen Radev held a joint press briefing on October 23 (local time) at the Presidential Palace in Sofia to announce the outcomes of their talks.

President Rumen Radev emphasized that, on the basis of mutual trust and understanding, the two leaders had a successful meeting to review bilateral cooperation, chart major directions for expanding traditional areas of collaboration, and identify new fields where both sides have potential and shared interests. The two countries also exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual concern, and officially agreed to establish a strategic partnership.

The year 2025 marks the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two nations, a milestone that further strengthens their traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation. Over the decades, Bulgaria has made significant contributions to Vietnam’s national development, particularly in human resource training, helping to build generations of skilled workers who now serve as living bridges between the two countries.

President Radev expressed admiration and congratulations for Vietnam’s impressive achievements in the renewal process and international integration, noting that with its strong economic growth and rising political stature, Vietnam has become an increasingly important player in Southeast Asia. He expressed hope that the two countries will continue to enhance cooperation in traditional fields such as defense-security, education and training, science and technology, agriculture, culture, sports, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges.

Party General Secretary To Lam affirmed that, based on the positive progress and remarkable achievements in bilateral ties over the past 75 years, both sides adopted a joint statement on establishing the Vietnam - Bulgaria Strategic Partnership. This marks an important milestone and provides a solid foundation to elevate bilateral relations to a new height, for the benefit of the two peoples and for peace, stability, and development in the region and beyond.

To implement the Joint Statement and bring bilateral relations into a new phase of development, the Party General Secretary outlined six key directions agreed upon by both sides:

First, to strengthen political trust through increased exchanges and contacts at all levels, between the Parties, States, parliaments, and peoples, both bilaterally and multilaterally; to continue promoting existing cooperation mechanisms while creating new ones and deepening sectoral collaboration.

Second, to enhance cooperation in defense and security in line with the framework of the Strategic Partnership, including training, academic exchange between defense academies and research institutes, cooperation in UN peacekeeping operations, cybersecurity, and military medicine.

Third, in the context of global economic uncertainties, the two countries agreed to make economic, trade, and investment ties the central pillar of the Strategic Partnership. Both sides will work closely to maintain and promote free trade, expand market access, and fully leverage the EU - Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), with the goal of doubling bilateral trade in the coming years. Bulgaria and Vietnam also pledged to serve as gateways for each other’s goods entering the EU and ASEAN markets, respectively.

Fourth, the two leaders agreed to make science and technology cooperation a key pillar of the Strategic Partnership, focusing on areas of mutual strength and demand such as IT human resource training, digital transformation, digital economy, digital infrastructure, e-government, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, artificial intelligence, and modern computer science, as well as green energy.

Fifth, recognizing the vast potential for cooperation in traditional areas such as education, culture, tourism, healthcare, labor, and agriculture, both sides agreed to strengthen collaboration in high-quality human resource training, organize cultural and tourism events, exhibitions, and music exchanges to foster mutual understanding, and create favorable conditions for the Vietnamese community in Bulgaria to integrate and contribute positively to bilateral ties.

Finally, both countries will continue to share views on regional and international issues of common concern, coordinate closely, and support each other at multilateral forums such as the UN, ASEAN - EU, and ASEM. They reaffirmed their shared commitment to maintaining peace, stability, and freedom of navigation and overflight in the East Sea, upholding the rule of law, and resolving disputes by peaceful means in accordance with international law, particularly the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

With 75 years of enduring friendship and strong political will from both leaderships and peoples, Party General Secretary To Lam expressed firm confidence that the establishment of the Vietnam - Bulgaria Strategic Partnership will open a new era of cooperation, contributing to the prosperity of each nation and to peace and development in the region and the world.