President Vo Van Thuong receives Speaker of the National Assembly of Bulgaria Rossen Dimitrov Jeliazkov. Photo: quochoi.vn

At a reception in Hanoi on Monday, President Thuong said the visit is an important starting point for many events that the two countries will organize to celebrate the 75th anniversary of their diplomatic relations in 2025.

He asked Bulgaria to urge the European Commission (EC) to soon lift the  illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU)  "yellow card" warning against Vietnamese seafood given Vietnam's determination and efforts in seriously implementing the EC's recommendations on sustainable fisheries development.

The President said he hopes that the Bulgarian National Assembly will support the stance of Vietnam and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to resolve disputes by peaceful means on the basis of compliance with international law.

President Vo Van Thuong receives Speaker of the National Assembly of Bulgaria Rossen Dimitrov Jeliazkov. Photo: quochoi.vn

National Assembly Speaker Jeliazkov said the two sides need to further capitalize on existing cooperation mechanisms, including the Vietnam-Bulgaria Intergovernmental Committee meeting.

Appreciating Vietnam's role in ASEAN, the Speaker said he hopes that Vietnam will be a bridge for Bulgaria to promote cooperation with ASEAN as well as promote cooperation between ASEAN and the EU.