President Rumen Radev will visit Singapore and Vietnam from November 22 to 27, the presidential institution announced.
During both visits, the head of state will be accompanied by business representatives from the field of information technology, defense, and the automotive sector. There are also three official ministers in the delegation - of education, of innovation and growth and of tourism.
The President will be accompanied by his wife Desislava Radeva. Rumen Radev's visit to the Republic of Singapore aims to stimulate the development of bilateral dialogue at the highest political level, as well as to promote partnerships between the two countries in areas of mutual interest. The last visit of a Bulgarian president to the Asian country was in 2003, and at the same time, Singapore is a major commercial and transport center for trade between the EU and the countries of Southeast Asia. Within the first day of the visit – November 22, the head of state Rumen Radev will hold a meeting with his Singaporean counterpart Tharman Shanmugaratnam.
Meetings are also planned with the country's Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong and Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan. The head of state will open a business forum with the participation of representatives of Bulgarian and Singaporean companies. During the visit, President Radev will meet with Bulgarians who live and work in Singapore. Together with representatives of Bulgarian business, Rumen Radev will visit the innovative economic zone “Punggol Digital District”, which unites entrepreneurial and scientific activities with the aim of facilitating partnerships and exchange of ideas and resources.
The official visit of the Bulgarian president to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam will be the first foreign visit of a head of state hosted by the country's newly elected president Luong Khong, who took office in October of this year. At his invitation, the visit will take place on the eve of the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Bulgaria and Vietnam, which will be celebrated on February 8, 2025. Deepening trade and economic relations, strengthening partnership in the field of education and science, as well as contacts between the citizens of the two countries and interregional cooperation will be the focus of Rumen Radev's meetings.
The president's visit will begin with a meeting with the community of teachers and Vietnamese citizens who worked in Bulgaria – representatives of the "Vietnam-Bulgaria" Friendship Association. The association, which includes hundreds of citizens of Vietnam, develops active activities for cultural exchange and strengthening bilateral relations with Bulgaria.
On November 25, President Rumen Radev and his wife Desislava Radeva will be welcomed with an official ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi. Presidents Rumen Radev and Luong Khong will hold a meeting and lead the plenary talks of the two official delegations. Bilateral documents will be signed in the presence of the heads of state.
In Hanoi, President Radev is scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with the General Secretary of the Vietnamese Communist Party To Lam, with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chin, with the Chairman of the National Assembly Chan Thanh Man. Rumen Radev will visit the Diplomatic Academy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam, where he will also deliver a lecture dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Bulgaria and the Asian country.
During his visit, the head of state and the delegation led by him will visit Haiphong – one of Vietnam's fastest growing economic cities and a major port hub. The president is expected to open a Vietnamese-Bulgarian business forum in Ho Chi Minh City - the largest industrial and financial center in Vietnam. In Hai Phong and Ho Chi Minh City, the head of state will hold meetings with representatives of the leadership of the People's Committees of the two cities.