Jaishankar, Bulgarian leaders discuss cooperation in semiconductors, AI

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday held talks with Bulgaria’s top leadership and discussed ways to expand bilateral cooperation in trade, investment, defence, semiconductors, and artificial intelligence.

Jaishankar, who is on a two-nation tour of Bulgaria and Finland from June 10-11, met Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev and conveyed the greetings of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the government and people of the Balkan nation.

In a social media post after the meeting, Jaishankar said the two sides highlighted their “robust bilateral ties”, recent opportunities created by the strengthening of the India-EU strategic partnership and the imperative for closer India-Bulgaria cooperation to “de-risk and diversify” in an increasingly volatile global environment.

The discussions covered “deepening collaboration in trade and investment, pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, artificial intelligence, space, defence, mobility, tourism and the creative entertainment industry”, he said.

The two leaders also exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest. Later in the day, Jaishankar held talks with Bulgarian Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova-Chamova and reviewed the full spectrum of bilateral relations.

According to Jaishankar, the two ministers explored opportunities for cooperation in the context of the India-European Union Free Trade Agreement (FTA), the strategic and defence partnership and the Comprehensive Mobility Cooperation Framework.

“Our discussions centred on expanding economic engagement and strengthening collaboration in science and technology, AI, pharmaceuticals, defence, connectivity, mobility, education, culture and people-to-people exchanges, as also increasing the frequency of political engagements,” he said in another post.

Jaishankar said India and Bulgaria are committed to transforming their longstanding friendship into a contemporary and forward-looking partnership. Earlier, the External Affairs Minister visited Bulgaria’s National Historical Museum in Sofia and said the visit provided a deeper appreciation of the country’s rich cultural heritage preserved over millennia.

The National Historical Museum, the largest in Bulgaria, houses more than 700,000 cultural artefacts and monuments representing the history of the region from about 8,000 years ago to the present day. Jaishankar also met prominent Bulgarian friends of India and discussed ways to deepen economic, academic, cultural, mobility and people-to-people ties between the two countries.

After concluding his engagements in Sofia, Jaishankar will travel to Finland on Thursday to attend the 14th edition of the Kultaranta Talks, themed “A World in Transition: Global, Regional and Local Perspectives”, and hold meetings with the Finnish leadership and his counterpart. ETV Bharat