Japan-Bulgaria Relations
Meeting between Prime Minister Abe and President of the Republic of Bulgaria Radev
(Photo: Cabinet Public Relations Office)
(Photo: Cabinet Public Relations Office)
On October 24, commencing at 5:20 p.m. for approximately 10 minutes, Mr. Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan, held a Summit Meeting with H.E. Mr. Rumen Radev, President of the Republic of Bulgaria, who is visiting Japan. The overview of the meeting is as follows. The meeting was also attended by Mr. NISHIMURA Akihiro, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary, Mr. HAYASHI Hajime, Assistant Chief Cabinet Secretary, Mr. HASEGAWA Eiichi, Special Advisor to the Prime Minister, and others from the Japanese side, and by H.E. Mr. Borislav Kostov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Bulgaria to Japan, Dr. Kaloyan Metodiev, Chief of the Cabinet to the President, Mr. Dimitar Arnaudov, Foreign Policy Secretary of the President, and others from the Bulgarian side.
1. After welcoming President Radev’s first visit to Japan, Prime Minister Abe stated, “This year in which Japan welcomes a new era is also the ‘Three anniversaries’ between Japan and Bulgaria. I look forward to working with you in boosting the bilateral relationship.” In response, President Radev stated that he is impressed with the beauty of Japan and expressed his gratitude for the invitation to the Ceremony of the Enthronement of His Majesty the Emperor.
2. Regarding bilateral economic relations, Prime Minister Abe noted, “Our economic relations have made steady strides, including new investments by Japanese companies eyeing Bulgaria’s wealth of IT talent,” and, “I would like to ask you to inform Japanese companies of the attractiveness of investing in Bulgaria from a variety of angles, on different occasions such as the Japan business forum.” Furthermore, Prime Minister Abe stated, “I expect that National team of Bulgaria will perform well in the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games”. In response, President Radev appreciated Prime Minister Abe’s visit to Bulgaria in January 2018 and stated, “Bilateral economic relations have been developing since the visit and I would like to stress that Bulgaria has low taxes and prices, an abundant workforce, and a stable economy,” adding “As Bulgaria places importance on the transparency in terms of the investment, I expect further presence of Japan in the economic field from strategic point of view.”
3. The two leaders shared the view on continuing their partnership under the Western Balkans Cooperation Initiative. President Radev expressed his intention to cooperate with Japan as a trustworthy partner, referring to Bulgaria’s leadership role in the Western Balkan region.
4. Prime Minister Abe asked for continued understanding and cooperation towards the early resolution of the abductions issue.
[Reference] The “Three anniversaries” between Japan and Bulgaria
2019 is a year in which “Three anniversaries” between Japan and Bulgaria overlap: the 110th anniversary of the beginning of bilateral contacts, the 80th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, and the 60th anniversary of the resumption of diplomatic relations.
[Reference] The Japan business forum
The forum offers opportunities to exchange information between Japanese companies and the Bulgarian government. Prime Minister Abe proposed launching it during the visit to Bulgaria in January 2018.