India, Bulgaria ink two MoUs

India and Bulgaria on Wednesday signed two agreements in an effort to strengthen the bilateral relationship between the two countries.

Two Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation in tourism, civil nuclear cooperation, the establishment of Hindi chair at the Sofia University and cooperation in science and technology were signed in the presence of President Ram Nath Kovind and his Bulgarian counterpart Rumen Radev.

In a joint press briefing, President Kovind said that the two sides agreed to intensify the multilateral cooperation to address climate change, sustainable development and tourism.

Underscoring that terrorism poses a great threat to humanity, the President asserted that a strong global response is required to deal with the menace.

President Kovind also thanked the Bulgarian president for supporting India's claims for a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council and membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).

Commenting on India-Bulgaria ties, President Kovind said, "India immensely values its strategic partnership with the European Union for its efforts to promote multilateralism and rule-based international order. We have a time-tested and special relationship with Bulgaria. India and Bulgaria ties are deeply rooted in history. It is a strong foundation, we have together built a contemporary partnership based on shared democratic values and commitment to global peace and security. India looks forward to deepening its warm and friendly ties with Bulgaria."

The President underscored that Bulgaria can be a key partner for India under the 'Make in India', 'Digital India' and 'Smart Cities' initiatives. He added that India's growth story and Bulgaria's expertise in the economic domain would provide new opportunities to deepen trade and investment relations between the two nations.

The Indian companies are keen to deepen its footprints in the Bulgarian markets, he said adding, "We had detailed talks covering all aspects of our ties. We reaffirmed our mutual commitment to further strengthen across political, economic, defence, science and technology, education, cultural and people-to-people domains. I appreciate the strong cultural bonds existing between the two countries. We noted the excellent work done by the Department of Indology, Sofia University and by institutions in India to promote each other's culture and languages."

President Kovind further said that he is looking forward to jointly unveil the statue of Mahatma Gandhi on Thursday.

While addressing the Indian community on Tuesday, he apprised them of India's growth story, saying that the economy of the country is making steady progress and that it is the fastest growing economy in the world, with a growth rate of 8.2 per cent in Q2.

President Kovind is currently on an eight-day state visit to three European countries - Cyprus, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic.