Bulgaria's participation in EXPO Osaka 2025 will show the contemporary image of our country as an established regional, investment and innovation hub, says President Rumen Radev on Bulgaria Day at the world exhibition

The rich culture, history and traditions of Bulgaria today are developing harmoniously with high technologies. This was stated by President Rumen Radev at the official ceremony marking Bulgaria Day at the Osaka World Expo EXPO 2025. The head of state is on an official visit to Japan, where our country is represented at the international event with its own pavilion. The Bulgarian head of state extended an invitation to the Japanese hosts and guests of the celebration of Bulgaria Day to visit the Bulgarian pavilion at the exhibition.

At Osaka EXPO 2025 in Osaka, the Head of State Rumen Radev and his wife Desislava Radeva were welcomed by the Commissioner General of EXPO Osaka Koji Haneda. The President signed the official guest book, and during the ceremony dedicated to our country, the national flags of Bulgaria and Japan were raised and the anthems of the two countries were played in the presence of the Bulgarian head of state and Hisayuki Fujii, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan. A cultural program with Bulgarian folklore performances was presented as part of the ceremony marking Bulgaria Day.

Bulgaria's participation in EXPO Osaka 2025 will show the Japanese public and business the contemporary image of our country as an established regional investment and innovation hub, the head of state pointed out, noting the growing interest of Japanese companies in Bulgaria and the advantages of our country in the field of high technologies, artificial intelligence, and innovations. Rumen Radev also highlighted our strategic geographical location and highly qualified human capital as key advantages for our country in attracting foreign investments.

The President congratulated Japan on its successful hosting of EXPO Osaka 2025, which showcases the latest global achievements in scientific, technological, economic and social progress. In his words, the world exposition is an expression of our shared aspiration to build a dignified and sustainable society that places human life at its center.

Rumen Radev recalled that the first World Expo in Asia was held in Osaka in 1970 and became a symbol of Japan's dynamic economic growth. For Bulgaria, this event is of great importance, as it was then that Bulgarian yogurt was presented in Japan for the first time, which became extremely popular in the country in the following years.

In his speech, the head of state pointed to the long-standing relations of traditional friendship with Japan, which occupy a priority place in Bulgaria's foreign policy. The President highlighted the successful cooperation between the two countries in the fields of economy, science, culture and education, people-to-people contacts, political dialogue and international cooperation.

The President expressed his satisfaction with the upcoming significant moment in the history of Bulgarian-Japanese relations with the establishment of a strategic partnership. A declaration to this effect is to be signed between the Head of State Rumen Radev and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba during the current visit of the Bulgarian President to Japan. The rise in the level of our relations is dictated by the sustainable development of bilateral sectoral cooperation and the existing significant potential for its further expansion and deepening, the head of state pointed out.

The Osaka World Expo runs from April 13 to October 13, and 165 countries and regions and 9 international organisations present their cultures, ideas and innovations in about 180 pavilions, including Bulgaria's. EXPO 2025 is expected to be visited by nearly 30 million people.