Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung received the Chief of General Staff of Bulgarian Armed Forces, Simeon Hristov Simeonov, in Hanoi on November 26.

At the reception, Dung hailed the strong development of the traditional friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Bulgaria over the past time, saying that it has brought practical benefits to the common development of both nations.

He affirmed that Vietnam attaches importance to strengthening its multi-faceted cooperation with Bulgaria , including in defence.

The Prime Minister suggested the two sides early sign a memorandum of understanding on defence cooperation, through such forms as the exchange of delegations and experience in international peace keeping activities, military medicine and technique.

For his part, the Bulgarian Chief of Defence said his visit aims to increase the cooperation between the two armies, especially in training officers and military medicine.