Farewell ceremony for General Secretary To Lam and his wife at Sofia International Airport. Photo: Thong Nhat/VNA

Earlier, General Secretary Lam had a meeting with Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov in Sofia on Friday as part of his official visit to Bulgaria. The two leaders agreed to enhance political trust, boost high-level mutual visits and meetings between the countries' Parties, States, Governments, and parliaments, and promote people-to-people exchanges.

Highlighting economic, trade, and investment connections as the main impetus of bilateral relations, the two leaders emphasized the need for both countries to fully tap opportunities offered by the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), strengthen supply chain resilience, and expand logistics connectivity via seaports, with the goal of doubling bilateral trade in the coming years.

General Secretary To Lam meets with Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov. Photo: Thong Nhat/VNA

General Secretary Lam said Vietnam stands ready to facilitate the entry of Bulgarian products into its domestic and ASEAN markets, while hoping Bulgaria will serve as a gateway for Vietnamese goods to the EU, reduce trade barriers, and support Vietnamese businesses to invest in Bulgaria.

He also proposed further stepping up cooperation in traditional fields such as education and training, culture and tourism, health care, labor, and agriculture. He called on Bulgaria to persuade the European Commission to soon lift the “yellow card” warning on Vietnam’s seafood exports and to accelerate the signing of an intergovernmental agreement on healthcare collaboration.

At the meeting, both host and guest noted the vast potential for cooperation in new areas such as digital transformation, the digital economy, artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, and e-government. They underlined the commitment to making science and technology an important pillar of the Vietnam-Bulgaria Strategic Partnership. In addition, both sides agreed to maintain close coordination and mutual support at international forums, particularly within the UN and ASEAN-EU frameworks.

General Secretary To Lam meets with Speaker of the Bulgarian National Assembly Natalia Kiselova. Photo: Thong Nhat/VNA

General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee To Lam and Speaker of the Bulgarian National Assembly Natalia Kiselova had a meeting in Sofia on Friday. General Secretary Lam proposed accelerating the establishment of a cooperation mechanism between the two parliaments, and bringing into play the role of the Vietnam-Bulgaria Parliamentary Friendship Group. He suggested the European country to soon apply visa exemption for Vietnamese citizens so as to further attract investment and boost people-to-people exchanges.