Over 30 companies participated in the Bulgarian-Vietnamese Business Forum
The 24th session of the Bulgarian-Vietnamese Intergovernmental Commission for Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technological Cooperation, held in Sofia, ended with the signing of a bilateral protocol. The two co-chairs of the committee, the Minister of Economy and Industry Dr. Petko Nikolov and the Minister of Industry and Trade of the Republic of Vietnam Nguyen Hong Dien, signed the document. The Intergovernmental Commission was held for the first time after a break of nearly 10 years and discussed opportunities for cooperation in various areas of mutual interest.
‘The signing of the protocol lays a good foundation for the development and deepening of economic ties between the two countries’, Minister Nikolov said. ‘Using the traditional friendly relations between Bulgaria and Vietnam as a basis, the two countries should be much more active and deepen trade and investment relations’, he added.
In their speeches during the meeting, the two ministers agreed on the great untapped potential for the development of bilateral economic relations and opportunities for promoting partnerships between Bulgarian and Vietnamese companies. The two delegations highlighted the positive development of economic relations in recent years, in which bilateral trade has been growing, especially after the entry into force of the EU-Vietnam free trade and investment protection agreements.
Minister Nikolov stressed that the key geographical location of our country as an entry point to Europe is a serious prerequisite for attracting more Vietnamese investments and for establishing joint Bulgarian-Vietnamese enterprises for the production of goods to be exported to third countries.
‘For us, Vietnam is one of the most important trade and economic partners in the Southeast Asian region. This partnership is built on solid foundations — the human, scientific and socio-economic potential of Bulgaria and Vietnam, which, I am confident, will contribute to the further expansion of bilateral cooperation in all areas of mutual interest and to maintaining the traditional partnership in strategic areas such as education and training, defence and security, culture and tourism’, Minister Nikolov said.
For his part, the Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade stressed that the holding of the Intergovernmental Bulgarian-Vietnamese Commission will give an additional boost to bilateral economic relations, pointing out that there are many opportunities for Vietnamese companies to invest in different sectors in our country.
Earlier today, Deputy Minister of Economy and Industry Nikolay Pavlov, together with the Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Mr. Nguyen Hong Dien, opened the Economic Seminar ‘Vietnam — Bulgaria for Trade and Investment Promotion’. The forum, organized by the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency (Vietrade), was attended by over 30 Bulgarian companies and representatives of Vietnamese institutions and businesses.