Nâng cấp quan hệ Việt Nam - Bulgaria lên đối tác chiến lược | VTV24

Key Concepts:

• Strategic Partnership: The elevation of bilateral relations between Vietnam and Bulgaria to a strategic partnership.
• 75 Years of Diplomatic Relations: The significant milestone celebrated by both countries.
• Bilateral Cooperation: The multifaceted areas of collaboration discussed and agreed upon.
• ASEAN and EU Markets: The potential for both countries to serve as gateways to these significant economic blocs.
• International Law and Maritime Security: The shared commitment to principles of international law, particularly concerning the South China Sea.

Official Visit and Bilateral Talks

On the invitation of Bulgarian President Rumen Radev, General Secretary Tô Lâm of the Communist Party of Vietnam, accompanied by a high-level delegation, paid an official visit to Bulgaria. The visit commenced with a formal reception ceremony at the Presidential Palace. Following the ceremony, General Secretary Tô Lâm and President Rumen Radev engaged in bilateral talks.

Bulgarian Perspective on Vietnam-Bulgaria Relations

President Rumen Radev warmly welcomed General Secretary Tô Lâm's visit, especially in the context of the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. He emphasized Bulgaria's consistent regard for Vietnam's position and role in the Asia-Pacific region and commended Vietnam's foreign policy for contributing to regional peace, stability, and development. President Radev recalled his profound impressions of Vietnam and its people from his visit in November 2024, expressing admiration for Vietnam's significant socio-economic development achievements driven by appropriate and precise reform policies. He reaffirmed Bulgaria's commitment to its traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation with Vietnam, agreeing to enhance bilateral relations for the sustainable development of each nation.

Vietnamese Perspective and Historical Context

General Secretary Tô Lâm expressed gratitude to President Radev for the respectful and warm reception. He underscored Vietnam's high regard for its relationship with Bulgaria, acknowledging and cherishing the valuable support provided by the Bulgarian people during Vietnam's struggle for national liberation and its subsequent nation-building efforts.

Key Outcomes of the Bilateral Talks: Establishment of a Strategic Partnership

During the talks, both sides shared updates on their respective national situations and expressed satisfaction with the positive developments in bilateral relations. The leaders exchanged views on strategic orientation measures to deepen and enhance the practical cooperation framework between Vietnam and Bulgaria in the new context. A significant outcome was the mutual agreement to elevate the Vietnam-Bulgaria relationship to the level of a strategic partnership. This makes Bulgaria the first country in the Balkan region to establish such a partnership with Vietnam.

Six Key Areas of Cooperation Agreed Upon:

1. Strengthening Political Trust:

   • Continued promotion of high-level exchanges and contacts across all channels: Party, State, National Assembly, and people-to-people exchanges within bilateral and multilateral frameworks.
   • Commitment to advancing existing cooperation mechanisms and expanding new ones to deepen specialized cooperation.

2. Enhancing Defense and Security Cooperation:

   • Alignment with the strategic partnership framework.
   • Strengthening cooperation in training and academic exchanges between defense academies and research institutions.
   • Collaboration in UN peacekeeping operations, cybersecurity, and military medicine.

3. Economic, Trade, and Investment Cooperation as a Central Pillar:

   • In the face of global economic challenges, both countries agreed to close coordination to make economic, trade, and investment cooperation a central pillar of the strategic partnership.
   • Commitment to maintaining and consolidating free trade, and vigorously promoting trade and investment through market opening measures.
   • Effective implementation of the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement with the goal of doubling bilateral trade turnover in the coming years.
   • Readiness to serve as gateways for Vietnamese and Bulgarian goods to access the ASEAN and EU markets, respectively.

4. Science and Technology Cooperation as an Important Pillar:

   • Focus on areas of mutual strength and need, including:
     • Human resource training in Information Technology (IT) for digital transformation, digital economy, digital infrastructure, and e-government.
     • Pharmaceuticals and biomedicine.
     • Virtual assistants and modern computer science.
     • Green energy.

5. Human Resource Training and Cultural Exchange:

   • Strengthening cooperation in training high-quality human resources.
   • Developing cultural programs, tourism initiatives, exhibitions, and musical exchanges to foster greater understanding and interaction between the peoples of both nations.
   • General Secretary Tô Lâm requested Bulgaria to simplify visa procedures for Vietnamese citizens to encourage more visits to Bulgaria.
   • He also requested continued facilitation for the Vietnamese community in Bulgaria (over 30,000 people) to integrate more deeply and contribute positively to bilateral relations.

6. Cooperation on Regional and Global Issues:

   • Enhancing exchange of views on issues of mutual concern.
   • Promoting cooperation in addressing traditional and non-traditional security challenges.
   • Close coordination and mutual support at multilateral forums such as the UN, ASEAN, EU, and ASEM to maintain peace, stability, and development in each region and globally.
   • Emphasis on supporting the stance on ensuring security, safety, and freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea.
   • Upholding the supremacy of law and resolving disputes through peaceful means, refraining from the use or threat of force in international relations, in accordance with international law, particularly the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982.

Joint Statement and Future Outlook

Based on the positive developments and significant achievements in Vietnam-Bulgaria relations over the past 75 years, and with firm confidence in the bright future of their relationship, the two sides adopted a Joint Statement on the establishment of the Vietnam-Bulgaria Strategic Partnership.

President Rumen Radev stated, "On the foundation of 75 years of traditional friendship and the strong determination of the leaders and peoples of both countries, I am also firmly convinced that the establishment of the Vietnam-Bulgaria Strategic Partnership will open a new era of cooperation for the two countries, for the goal of development of each country and for the common peace and prosperity of the region and the world." He added, "I and the General Secretary have had very successful talks. Vietnam and Bulgaria have had a long-standing relationship of 75 years, and we are also very impressed with the achievements that Vietnam has made recently. We have agreed to elevate the relationship between the two countries to a new level, which is a strategic partnership."

Invitation to Visit Vietnam

On this occasion, General Secretary Tô Lâm conveyed greetings and an invitation from Vietnamese high-level leaders to President Rumen Radev and other Bulgarian leaders to visit Vietnam.