site.btaBulgaria's Foreign Minister Notes Untapped Potential between Bulgaria and India

After a meeting between Bulgaria's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Velislava Petrova-Chamova, and India's Minister of External Affairs, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, here on Wednesday, Petrova-Chamova said that there is significant untapped potential between Bulgaria and India that should not be left untapped. It can be unlocked through more active institutional cooperation and regular participation in business forums by both countries, which most clearly and precisely identify the common ground where they can find a shared path forward for the respective industries, she added.

Bulgaria will continue to advocate for ever closer political and economic cooperation between the European Union and India and to work toward that end, so that all subsequent steps in this cooperation are implemented in a timely manner, Petrova-Chamova said. "We held fruitful discussions on transforming the partnership, which has always been warm and friendly, into a more practical one, adapted to the challenges and opportunities of the current situation, both bilaterally and at the European Union level," the Minister added.

Petrova-Chamova reported that during the meeting, political will was expressed to strengthen the partnership between Bulgaria and India in key sectors of mutual interest. The Minister expressed hope that relevant meetings will soon be held at both the political level and among representatives of the private sector from both countries to strengthen partnership opportunities. She added: "Emphasis was placed on the need to stimulate investment in our bilateral trade. It is not small, but at the same time, it is not large enough." Priority sectors and opportunities for development were identified in high technology, digitization, pharmaceuticals, and artificial intelligence.

Opportunities for partnership in the field of scientific and technological infrastructure were also discussed, including with Sofia Tech Park and the Institute for Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence and Technology at Sofia University.

Petrova-Chamova reported that education, culture, and tourism opportunities were identified as long-term priorities. Cooperation in the field of education for the 2026-2029 period was also discussed, along with accelerating arrangements in this regard. She reported that Jaishankar expressed readiness to remove obstacles in this regard.

The Bulgarian Minister concluded that 2026 marks a new chapter in relations between the EU and India, which is important for the economic well-being of the countries and the definition of their relations.