Vietnamese leaders welcome Bulgarian president

Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev on Monday met with high-ranking leaders of Vietnam during his official visit to the country from Sunday to Thursday. At the meeting with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, Plevneliev said Bulgaria is ready to act as a bridge for Vietnam to broaden its cooperation with the European Union (EU) as well as a gateway for Vietnamese products to enter the European market. The Vietnamese prime minister, for his part, underscored Vietnam's constant policies of continuing to deepen Vietnam- Bulgaria ties, adding that besides strengthening cooperation in economy, trade and investment, the two sides should continue fostering links in potential areas of mutual strengths, including energy, high technology, pharmaceuticals, food processing, education and military technology. Also on Monday, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong suggested that Vietnam and Bulgaria should expand their bilateral ties through various channels, including party, parliament, government and people-to-people exchanges. The party leader said the two sides should work closer together to realize their reached agreements effectively. For his part, Plevneliev voiced his support to the free trade agreement that Vietnam is pursuing with the EU. While receiving the Bulgarian guest, Vietnamese National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung affirmed that Vietnam will do its utmost to promote the relations with the parliament and people of Bulgaria for further mutual understanding between the two nations. Hung expressed his belief that with the potential and political will of both sides, Vietnam and Bulgaria will continue to lift their cooperation to a new height. The Bulgarian president confirmed that his country attaches much importance to the relations with Vietnam, through which it can expand its relations with other Southeast Asian countries.