WANG: BEIJING PARTNER TO SOFIA IN PROMOTING MULTILATERALISM

BEIJING, OCTOBER 20 /SRNA/ – China is ready to partner with Bulgaria in promoting Eurasian connectivity, achieving shared development and revitalisation, and advocating multilateralism, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said during talks with Bulgarian Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova.

Wang stressed that Bulgaria was one of the first countries to recognise the People’s Republic of China and that the two countries had maintained friendly relations over the years.

He said the two sides should continuously consolidate the political foundations of their relations and strengthen communication and coordination in order to create favourable conditions for deepening mutually beneficial cooperation.

"China respects Bulgaria’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity and looks forward to the accelerated achievement of the country’s development goals under the leadership of its new government," Wang said during his visit to Bulgaria.

He added that China was ready to be Bulgaria’s long-term and reliable strategic partner in this process.

Petrova said that Bulgaria and China shared a deep-rooted traditional friendship and had achieved fruitful cooperation in various fields.

"Bulgaria has long consistently adhered to the one-China policy and will continue to do so," Petrova said, stressing that actively developing relations with China was a clear priority for Bulgaria’s new government.

During their meeting yesterday, the ministers also discussed the Ukraine crisis and other current international and regional issues, China Media Group reported.