site.btaBulgarian Parliament Deputy Chair Talks with Japanese House of Representatives Speaker in Tokyo

Bulgaria's National Assembly Deputy Chair Raya Nazaryan held talks with Japan's House of Representatives Speaker Fukushiro Nukaga during a visit by a Bulgarian parliamentary delegation to Japan organized at Nukaga's invitation, the National Assembly press service said on Thursday.

Nazaryan, who is a member of the GERB-UDF parliamentary group and Chair of the Bulgaria-Japan Friendship Group, noted that the two countries are strategic partners. She gave high praise to cooperation with Japan and reiterated that the Far Eastern nation is a priority, like-minded, and traditional friend of Bulgaria.

Parliamentary exchanges between Bulgaria and Japan have always held a special place in bilateral relations, serving as a platform for exchanging views and seeking opportunities to strengthen and enrich mutually beneficial cooperation, said Nazaryan. She confirmed that Japan is a key player in international politics, the world’s fourth-largest economy, and a leader in technological development and innovation implementation, a strategic partner of the EU, and a partner country of NATO. Japan enjoys a reputation in Bulgaria as a highly developed, modern, and democratic country, Nazaryan added.

On the third day of the Bulgarian parliamentary delegation’s visit to Japan, Nazaryan met with Masaki Ogushi, Japan’s State Minister for Economy, Trade and Industry. During the meeting, the Deputy Chair of the Bulgarian National Assembly congratulated Japan on successfully hosting Expo Osaka 2025 and expressed confidence that Bulgaria’s participation in the exhibition with its own pavilion, showcasing the country's history, culture, and traditions, as well as achievements in innovation, high technology, and artificial intelligence, will provide new opportunities for economic cooperation and increase Bulgaria’s visibility in Japan. She recalled that Bulgaria’s participation in the Osaka Expo in 1970 marked the beginning of cooperation with the Meiji company to introduce Bulgarian yogurt to the Japanese market under the “Bulgaria” brand.

Nazaryan emphasized Bulgaria’s desire to attract Japanese investments, increase exports of Bulgarian goods, and promote tourism exchange, as Japan is one of Bulgaria’s key trading partners in the East Asia region. She believes that Bulgaria is establishing itself as a regional innovation hub and can offer many opportunities for foreign business in digital technologies and innovation, service outsourcing, development of innovative high value-added manufacturing with an export focus, as well as qualified specialists in information technology and artificial intelligence.

The Bulgarian parliamentary delegation included MPs Denitsa Nikolova (GERB-UDF), Daniel Lorer (Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria), Maya Dimitrova (BSP – United Left), and Toshko Yordanov (There Is Such a People).