Secretariat, Taipei City Government

On June 7, 2023, Deputy Mayor of Taipei City Yi-Hua Lin, Information Technology Commissioner Shih-Lung Chao and Invest Taipei Executive Director Robert Lo held their first virtual meeting with Deputy Mayor of Sofia Gencho Kerezov. This marks an important first step for future cooperation and exchange between the two cities.

This was the first time that Deputy Mayor Lin and Deputy Mayor Kerezov met through video conference, setting a new milestone for future interactions. The meeting began with addresses by the deputy mayors. Presentations on smart city, commerce and investment arranged by relevant personnel from both sides followed. The two sides also discussed topics ranging from governance to future opportunities for exchange and cooperation.

During the meeting, Deputy Mayor Lin mentioned that both parties can engage in concrete and specific exchanges and cooperation on issues such as smart cities, innovation, the medical industry, education and culture. She looks forward to future interactions and anticipates that both sides will benefit from continued mutual exchange and be able to create better environments for the health and wellbeing of their citizens. Deputy Mayor Lin also invited Deputy Mayor Kerezov and the new Sofia mayor to the 2024 Smart City Summit & Expo hosted by Taipei.

Deputy Mayor Kerezov replied that he was honored to meet Deputy Mayor Lin and noted that Taipei’s information technology achievements are world-renowned. He hoped to learn from Taipei and share his city’s experience with smart projects, commerce and investment. He hoped that the friendly cooperation between the two cities would continue and stressed that he will encourage Sofia’s governmental agencies to engage in dialogue with their counterparts in Taipei to share their governance experience. He noted that he looks forward to leading a delegation to attend the 2024 Smart City Summit & Expo next year.

Because the Taipei Representative Office in Greece has jurisdiction over Bulgaria, Representative Sherman Kuo of the Taipei Representative Office in Greece also attended the meeting. Representative Kuo expressed his pleasure at being able to participate and his gratitude to the Economic Division of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Mission in Ankara for facilitating the first official exchange between Taipei and Sofia. Representative Kuo noted that he was certain the meeting will improve relations between the two cities.

Sofia is the capital of Bulgaria, the political, cultural, educational and financial center of the country and a place where West meets East. The city is replete with vestiges of the Roman and Ottoman empires, including a large number of historic Roman sites. The city spent three decades constructing its mass rapid transit system due to the historic sites unearthed during the construction process.