September 1st ,2008

National Assembly Chairman Georgi Pirinski met on 1 September 2008 the Foreign Affairs Minister of the People’s Republic of China Yang Jiechi who is on an official visit to Bulgaria.

During the talks both sides confirmed their will to develop their friendly relations and pragmatic partnership. It was stressed that the marking of the 60th anniversary since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 2009 would provide impetus to initiatives and projects for further advancement in the bilateral cooperation in a number of fields such as trade and economy, culture and tourism. The two sides agreed that being member of the European Union, Bulgaria could contribute considerably to the progress of the relations between China and the EU. Both sides expressed their common understanding that the present day world needs multilateral cooperation backed by peace and based on the mutual respect and tolerance in the relations between the countries.

Georgi Pirinski praised the excellent organization of the 29th Olympic Games in Beijing and the strong performance of the Chinese sportsmen and said that this was an explicit proof of the capabilities of today’s China.

On his behalf Mr. Yang Jiechi thanked the Bulgarian parliament and the other state institutions for their compassion in regards to the earthquake in the Chinese Unan and Sichuan provinces and for the opportunity given to 43 school children from the disaster areas to spend summer vacation in Bulgaria. He mentioned that such gestures were having a long lasting effect on the friendly relations between the two countries.
At the meeting the two sides stressed the contributions of the parliaments of the two countries for the further development of the relations between Bulgaria and China and especially the role of their parliamentary committees and friendship groups.