Vietnam Looking for Bulgarian Expertise in High Tech, Green Energy and Bio-farming
04 July 2018 News
The Socialist Republic of Vietnam is open to Bulgarian investment and to receiving expertise in the spheres of high tech, renewable energy sources and bio-farming, but also in traditional sectors like silk culture and winery. This emerged following a meeting of the Deputy Prime Ministers and Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the two countries, Ekaterina Zaharieva and Pham Binh Minh, in Sofia.
‘We welcome the planned session of the joint intergovernmental committee, but for its work to truly be effective, we propose that we hold a parallel meeting for businesses from the two countries,’ Minister Zaharieva said at a joint press conference of the two ministers. She noted that the economies of the two countries had displayed a similar upward trend over the past years.
Vietnam’s GDP grew by 7% in 2017, and its exports – by 20%, which ranks among the most rapidly developing markets worldwide. The 4% growth of Bulgarian economy’s during the same period places it in the top 3 of the EU with respect to that indicator.
‘Trade between Bulgaria and Vietnam has also grown, but there is a lot of room for its development,’ the ministers agreed. They cited the EU–Vietnam Free Trade Agreement as one of the major drivers of this development. ‘Negotiations on the draft in the Council were concluded during the Bulgarian Presidency, and now our country will invest effort into reaching an agreement on it, and having it adopted at the European Council as soon as possible,’ Minister Zaharieva noted.
‘Another tie fostering the good relations between the two countries have been their peoples, over 5000 Vietnamese nationals having received tertiary education in Bulgaria,’ Minister Zaharieva added. ‘When I visited Hanoi in 2013, I sensed first-hand the warmth these people felt for Bulgaria, I heard them speak our language, and they said they considered our country their second home,’ the Minister said. ‘This makes them the natural bridge allowing for the strengthening of our political and economic relations.’
To ensure that, the two countries’ Ministries of Education concluded an agreement, and Bulgaria stands ready to increase the number of annual scholarships aimed at Vietnamese students for the purpose tertiary education in Bulgaria from 3 to 8. The Diplomatic Institute with the MFA is also ready to receive Vietnamese diplomats for training.
‘Our Presidency of the Council of the EU has just concluded, lending us new experience that we are ready to share with Vietnamese diplomats, but we for our part are also open to learning from their expertise,’ Bulgaria’s highest-ranking diplomat said.
Minister Zaharieva became Bulgaria’s first Minister of Foreign Affairs following the country’s transition to democracy to receive her Vietnamese counterpart. During his visit, Minister Pham Binh Minh met with Bulgaria’s President, Rumen Radev, Deputy Prime Minister Tomislav Donchev, and the Chair of the National Assembly, Tsveta Karayancheva.
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