President Hu meets Bulgarian counterpart on sidelines of Beijing Games
19/8/2008 17:44
Chinese President Hu Jintao met in Beijing today with his Bulgarian
counterpart Georgi Parvanov to exchange views on the ongoing Beijing Olympics
and bilateral relations.
Hu extended a welcome to Parvanov, who arrived on
Saturday to attend Games-related activities, and thanked Bulgaria's support for
the Beijing Games.
Worldwide athletes, including the Bulgarians, have
demonstrated superb athletic skills in the Beijing Olympic competitions, Hu
said. "With the concerted efforts from the International Olympic Committee and
the Olympic Family, we believe the Beijing Games will be a distinctive and
high-level sports rally."
Parvanov said China has deeply impressed the world
by hosting the Games in line with the Olympic spirit, and wished the Beijing
Games a success.
For many years, China and Bulgaria have been actively
promoting bilateral relations under the principle of mutual respect, equality
and non-interference in each other's internal affairs, said Hu.
In the recent
years in particular, the two sides have maintained high-level contacts, achieved
fruitful results in bilateral cooperation in diverse fields and maintained close
coordination and cooperation in international and regional affairs, Hu
said.
"China values the development of relations with Bulgaria," he said.
"Next year, we will celebrate 60 years of our diplomatic relations. This will be
a milestone in the development of bilateral ties."
China is ready to take
this opportunity to work with the Bulgarian side to deepen concrete cooperation
in diverse fields, Hu added.
Parvanov spoke highly of the bilateral relations
and all-round cooperation with China.
The Bulgarian people are full of
friendship and affection toward the Chinese, he said, adding that his country
hopes to maintain high-level contacts with China, cement trade and economic
relations, expand investment and cooperation, promote cultural exchanges and
enhance coordination and mutual support in international and regional
affairs.
The two presidents also exchanged views on China-Europe relations,
and agreed they would make concerted efforts to promote such relations.
Hu
thanked the Bulgarian government for inviting students from China's
quake-battered regions to a rehabilitation tour in Bulgaria. In response,
Parvanov repeated his sympathy and forwarded his best regards to the people who
were affected by the May 12 earthquake.
Nearly 70,000 people died in the
quake and an additional 17,923 are listed as missing.
At the invitation of
the Bulgarian government, 43 students from the southwestern Chongqing
Municipality, aged from 9 to 16, are on a 20-day recuperation tour in
Bulgaria.
They were chosen for their bravery in the aftermath of the
8.0-magnitude earthquake that devastated Sichuan Province and neighboring
areas.
Xinhua
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