Vietnam serves as bridge for Bulgaria to strengthen ties with ASEAN

At a meeting with Bulgarian Minister of Defense Atanas Zapryanov, Nguyet stated that the traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation between Vietnam and Bulgaria are developing well, marked by high political trust and mutual support at multilateral forums, particularly within the framework of the United Nations.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Bulgaria Nguyen Thi Minh Nguyet meets with Bulgarian Minister of Defense Atanas Zapryanov.

The Ambassador proposed several specific directions for defense cooperation, including the establishment of a strategic or policy dialogue mechanism, and the enhancement of academic exchanges and annual experience sharing between military training institutions of both countries.

Zapryanov affirmed that Bulgaria considers Vietnam an important partner and a bridge for Bulgaria to enhance its engagement with member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). He highly appreciated President Rumen Radev’s visit to Vietnam in November 2024, calling it a significant milestone and a strong impetus for deepening the bilateral relations.

Regarding defense cooperation, Zapryanov stressed that the Bulgarian Ministry of Defense has maintained close collaboration with its Vietnamese counterpart. He praised the annual exchange of military delegations between the two countries as an effective channel for fostering mutual understanding and trust. He also expressed his desire to increase the exchange delegations with Vietnam to three per year starting in 2026.

The Minister acknowledged and commended the role of Vietnam’s Defense Attaché Office in fostering cooperation between the two defense ministries. He noted that Bulgaria is exploring the possibility of sending a resident Defense Attaché in Vietnam.

Both sides agreed that Vietnam and Bulgaria hold significant potential for cooperation in various areas, including high-level and expert delegation exchanges, military training, and defense industry collaboration.

Zapryanov directed the Bulgarian Defense Policy and Planning Directorate to continue close coordination with Vietnam’s representative agencies in Bulgaria and relevant units of the Vietnamese Ministry of National Defense to effectively implement the discussed initiatives.

Source: VNA