Hanoi (VNA) – Speaker of the Bulgarian National Assembly (NA) RosenDimitrov Jeliazkov on January 9 called on students of the VietnamNational University, Hanoi (VNU) and young people in general as future politicians,managers, and scientists to grasp the world’s opportunities to continuedeveloping relations between the two countries.

He made the call while visitingand delivering a policy speech at the VNU, part of his official visit toVietnam.

Inhis remarks, Jeliazkov noted that Bulgaria provided educationalassistance for thousands of Vietnamese students during post-war years ofreconstruction. More than 35,000 Vietnamese citizens have studied and worked inhis country, he said, describing them as a bridge helping the two countriesbecome closer.

Bulgariawas one of the first countries in the world to recognise Vietnam’sindependence. In 2025, the two countries will celebrate the 75th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations, he noted, saying Bulgariaand Vietnam are important factors for ensuring stability in each region,maintaining constructive ties with neighbouring countries, and activelyparticipating in different forms of regional cooperation.

Intoday’s world, Bulgaria and Vietnam are becoming closer to each other. Thetwo are located in different continents but connected with each other in historical,physical, and digital terms. Both are jointly engaging in the climate change fight,ensuring supply chain sustainability, surmounting mixed threats, and developingtechnology and artificial intelligence.

Theyare promoting positive political dialogue at the highest level and expressingthe shared wish to elevate bilateral ties, according to the visiting leader.

Inrecent years, Vietnam has sustained high and impressive economic growth ina region with highly dynamic development in Southeast Asia. Bulgaria hascontinued to strongly support the EU’s relations with such priority partners asVietnam on the basis of their traditional friendship, practicality and trust, and Bulgaria's benefits from the EU membership, the ASEAN membership of Vietnam,and Vietnam’s growing role in Southeast Asia, Jeliazkov went on.

Heheld that with the signing of the EU - Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and the EU - Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA), new opportunities are being opened upfor bilateral relations. These two deals set the EU and Vietnam’sambitious trade targets based on common commitments to trade liberalisation andopen, equal, and rules-based integration.

Formany years, the two countries have struggled for many important nationaltargets. Their young people nowadays have a big mission of building a betterworld, he remarked.

Heexpressed his belief that education, knowledge, and innovation will be thetopics of future meetings between young Bulgarians and Vietnamese, forming thestart of new friendships that help to tighten bilateral ties.

VNUDirector Prof. Dr. Le Quan said the VNU is one of the leading universities inVietnam. Comprised of many colleges, research institutes, and service supplyingcentres, it serves as a core institution in Vietnam’s educational system. Theuniversity has obtained a number of achievements in different areas and securedhigh positions in international university rankings.

TheVNU and its member schools have established cooperative ties with more than 300universities, research institutes, and educational organisations in the world,including those of Bulgaria, he continued, noting that many generations of VNUstudents have been learning in the European country.

Alsoon January 9, Speaker Jeliazkov visited the Vietnam - Bulgaria high-qualitykindergarten in Hai Ba Trung district of Hanoi. The school was established in1981 as a gift from the Bulgarian women’s union to Vietnamese children./.