There are excellent prerequisites for raising the relations between Bulgaria and Japan to the level of a strategic partnership, believes Maria Angelieva

The traditional friendly relations between Bulgaria and Japan, stable cooperation and exchange in important areas such as political dialogue, economy, investments, culture, education, science and technology are excellent prerequisites for the further development of bilateral relations and their elevation to the level of a strategic partnership. This was stated by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Maria Angelieva, who received a Japanese delegation led by the Parliamentary Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Yasushi Hosaka, the ministry informed on its website.

The Japanese diplomat gave high praise for Bulgaria’s continued support to Ukraine, and the possibility of cooperation between the two countries in the process of post-war reconstruction of Ukraine was discussed.

The visit takes place in the context of this year’s celebration of a triple anniversary in Bulgarian-Japanese relations – 115 years since the first official contacts, 85 years since the establishment and 65 years since the restoration of diplomatic relations.

The Bulgarian side sees great potential for deepening interaction in the trade and investment sphere, tourism and exchange between young people, as well as in high technologies and innovations, including artificial intelligence and semiconductors. In this regard, satisfaction was shared with the development of cooperation between the Institute for Computer Sciences, Artificial Intelligence and Technologies at the Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” (INSAIT) and the Japanese Agency for Research and Development (RIKEN) and Toyota Company.

Angelieva welcomed the successful cooperation with Japan in the field of official development assistance for the countries of the Western Balkans and the seminar on “Improving understanding of disaster risk management” held in Sofia in February. He shared our willingness to continue working together in this area and our desire to expand its scope beyond the current areas of disaster management and promotion of small and medium-sized enterprises.

The two countries exchanged views on topical issues of the international agenda. The similarity of the positions of Bulgaria and Japan on Russia’s military aggression in Ukraine, the situations in the Middle East and Asia was noted.

Diplomatic relations with Japan were established on October 12, 1939 and temporarily interrupted in the period 1944-1959. Bulgaria opened its embassy in Tokyo in 1964, and Japan in Sofia in 1966. In 2024, we celebrate 115 years since the first official contacts, 85 years since the establishment and 65 years since the restoration of diplomatic relations, according to information from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.