The 7th round of India–Bulgaria Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) was held in New Delhi on 01 October 2026, co-chaired by Secretary (West) Shri Sibi George from the Indian side and Mr. Christo Polendakov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs from the Bulgarian side.
India and Bulgaria enjoy longstanding, warm and friendly relations marked by high-level exchanges in recent times. Bulgaria is a valued partner in the European Union.
During the FOC, the two sides reviewed the entire spectrum of bilateral relations, including high-level exchanges, engagements under institutional mechanisms and cooperation in trade and investment, science & technology, AI, space, defence, education, culture and people-to-people ties.
Both sides noted the steady progress in India-Bulgaria relations and the renewed momentum provided by the recent visit of External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar to Sofia in June this year. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to further expand cooperation in new areas of mutual interest.
The two sides underscored that the recently concluded India-EU FTA has opened a new chapter in economic and commercial ties and agreed to continue efforts for its early implementation to facilitate deepening the trade, investment and technology linkages.
Discussions also included collaboration in multilateral fora and exchange of views on regional and global developments.
Both sides agreed to hold the next round of Foreign Office Consultations at a mutually convenient date in Sofia.