Bulgaria and Japan can cooperate on seismic risk and housing management

Bulgaria and Japan can cooperate on seismic risk research and the management of obsolete housing fund.

This became clear at a meeting today between the Minister of Regional Development and Public Works Petya Avramova and His  Excellency  Hiroshi Narahira, who has been Ambassador of Japan to Bulgaria since the end of August.

The Regional Minister and Ambassador Narahira highly appreciated the relations between Bulgaria and Japan and noted the tendencies for their further deepening.

We are working to further develop trade and economic ties with Japan, and attracting new Japanese investments in key sectors of our economy is among the main priorities in our bilateral cooperation, Minister Avramova said.

The Japanese expertise would have added value for us in assessing the earthquake risk for the residential buildings and the accompanying works to be carried out on them, Minister Avramova said.  She pointed to technologies in the construction, maintenance and rehabilitation of water and sewerage infrastructure, policies in the development and management of social housing and obsolete housing stock, and urban development as other areas where the exchange of experience would benefit our country.

The Regional Minister noted that the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works has an important function to support the development of the country's regions and briefed the Ambassador on the preparation of the Operational Programme "Development of Regions" 2021 - 2027. She commented that directing investments in areas such as the automotive industry, research and development and other areas in which Bulgaria and Japan cooperate to North and North-West Bulgaria would contribute to the implementation of this government policy.

Deputy Minister Valentin Yovev informed that a methodology has been approved and a seismic risk map for our country is to be prepared, which should be ready by 2025.  He noted that it would also be of interest to work together on various projects related to digitalization, and added that the design is fully digitalized, but the digitalization of the construction sector in the country is yet to come.

H. E. Ambassador Narahira commented that the relations between the two countries should be further developed, besides political, in the fields of culture, education, tourism. He also pointed out that housing and urban development are areas where Japan could assist Bulgaria.