Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikolay Pavlov discusses development of relations between Bulgaria and Southeast Asian states with ASEAN Secretary-General
31 October 2025 News
During his working visit to the Republic of Indonesia, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria, Nikolay Pavlov, held a meeting with the Secretary-General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Mr Kao Kim Hourn. The conversations focused on the development of relations between Bulgaria and ASEAN and the opportunities for deepening cooperation in the political, economic, and cultural spheres.
Deputy Minister Pavlov expressed Bulgaria's readiness to diversify its trade relations with ASEAN countries, to promote tourist exchange, and to foster cooperation in innovation, information technology, and artificial intelligence, aiming to position the country as a regional technological hub and a gateway to the European market. Particular attention was paid to educational and cultural exchange, with Deputy Minister Pavlov highlighting the role of Bulgarian cultural heritage in attracting interest to the country. Bulgaria's desire to launch the accession process to the ASEAN Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) was stated).
He also presented Bulgaria's progress on joining the Eurozone on 1 January 2026, its membership in the Schengen Area, and the ongoing accession process to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), highlighting the prospects for strengthening exchanges with ASEAN in this context.
The ASEAN Secretary-General outlined the main development trends in the region, including the rapid growth of the digital economy, which is expected to reach 1 trillion US dollars with the potential to grow to 2 trillion dollars by 2030, as well as the significant increase in the association's energy needs by 2050.
At the end of the meeting, both sides reaffirmed their readiness for closer cooperation and the development of trade, cultural, and educational ties between Bulgaria and the ASEAN countries, within the context of the dynamically changing global economic environment.
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