| | Bulgaria's PM to Talk State Properties in Parliament |
| | Fri, 30 Jul 2010 09:18:43 +0200 |
| | Bulgaria's PM Boyko Borisov will explain in the Parliament how the state is planning to take back all the properties that have been taken away illegally.
The question to Borisov has come from the rightist Democrats for Strong Bulgaria (DSB) party. It includes the Tsar properties, the so-called "Alley One" in the Black Sea city of Varna, as well as all the cases of replaced state areas.
... |
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| | Bulgarian Ethnic Turkish Leader to be Voted Again over Embezzlement Allegations |
| | Fri, 30 Jul 2010 08:48:18 +0200 |
| | Bulgaria's PM Boyko Borisov has demanded a special meeting of the Parliamentary Anti-corruption Committee for the case of the leader of the ethnic Turkish party DPS.
The Committee was supposed to vote Thursday on sending the DPS leader, Ahmed Dogan, to the judiciary over allegations that he pocketed BGN 1,5 M as a consultant of hydro projects funded by the state.
However, the Committee failed to vote after three of its members surprisingly did not show up.
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| | Bulgaria's Regional Development Minister to Answer in Parliament |
| | Fri, 30 Jul 2010 08:24:09 +0200 |
| | The Bulgarian Minister for Regional Development, Rosen Plevneliev, will answer today the 15 questions asked by the ruling GERB and other parties.
Six questions have been asked by the MPs from "Coalition for Bulgaria", four by the ruling party GERB, three from the "Blue Coalition" and one from the nationalist "Ataka".
Plevneliev will explain Friday in the Parliament what the situation with some main roads is.
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| | German Investors Suggest 101 Law Amendments to Bulgarian PM |
| | Thu, 29 Jul 2010 20:37:55 +0200 |
| | Members of the German-Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DBIHK) have handed the Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov a list with 101 ideas for legislation amendments.
The list with recommendations to change a total of 24 Bulgarian laws was presented to Borisov Thursday by Bertram Rollmann, President of the German-Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Deutsch-Bulgarische Industrie- und Handelskammer) during a working breakfast, which also included Bulgaria's Regional Development Minister Rosen Plevneliev and German Ambassador to Bulgaria Matthias Hoepfner.
The 101 recommendations are mostly based on a comparison of the legislations in Bulgaria and Germany, and have been described as a response to Borisov call upon the German businessmen to support the realization of crucial reforms in the country.... |
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| | Bulgaria Rushes to Build Highway from Sofia to Serbian Border |
| | Thu, 29 Jul 2010 19:53:56 +0200 |
| | The highway connecting Bulgaria's capital Sofia with the Kalotina border crossing on the Serbian border will be ready by 2015, announced Bozhidar Yotov, head of the Road Infrastructure Agency.
Yotov spoke Thursday after the first meeting of a special working group, during which Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov demanded from several ministries, the road agency, and several municipalities that the highway from Sofia to Kalotina should be constructed before Serbia can build its own section to the Bulgarian border, the extension of the Belgrade-Nis Highway.
The newly-founded working group for "shock" highway construction includes deputy ministers of regional development, transport, environment, agriculture, the head of the Road Infrastructure Agency, the Governors of the Sofia City District and the Sofia District, the Chief Architect of Sofia Petar Dikov, and the mayors of the towns of Slinitsa and Dragoman.
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| | Bulgaria Awards Medal to Model of Top Soviet Era Monument |
| | Thu, 29 Jul 2010 19:10:03 +0200 |
| | Aleksey Skurlatov, the soldier who served as the model of Bulgaria's most famous Soviet Army monument, has received a medal from the Bulgarian President.
Skurlatov is the man whose picture from 1944 was used by Bulgarian sculptors to design the Monument of Alesha in the city of Plovdiv, a monument representing Bulgaria's gratitude to the Soviet soldiers.
The Red Army veteran, who now resides in the Altai Republic in Central Russia, has been award a medal entitled "65 Years since the Victory over Fascism".... |
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| | Tsarevets: The Castle of the Bulgarian Spirit |
| | Thu, 29 Jul 2010 19:00:54 +0200 |
| | If you plan a history trip around Bulgaria, then the Tsarevets fortress is the place to visit.
It is situated in Veliko Tarnovo, a city in the central part of northern Bulgaria which served as the capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire (1185 - 1396) and the home of the Bulgarian Tsars from that period.
The fortress Tsarevets is located on the central part of a hill with the same name, where the earliest evidence of human presence dates back from the 2nd millennium BC.
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| | Greece-Bound Bulgarian Travelers Warned to Fill Up Gas Tanks |
| | Thu, 29 Jul 2010 18:46:43 +0200 |
| | Bulgaria's Foreign Ministry has issued a warning over the strike of truck owners in its southern neighbor, which has starved Greece of fuel.
"The Ministry recommends that all Bulgarians traveling to Greece should fill up their tanks with enough gas in order to be able to reach their destination and to come back," says a special statement released Thursday.
The Foreign Ministry has made it clear that it did not have any information about Bulgarians stranded in Greece but points out that the truck owners has created "temporary problems" with the supply of fuels in the latter.... |
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| | 'Alcohol Tourism' Said to Dominate Bulgaria's Southern Black Sea Coast |
| | Thu, 29 Jul 2010 18:25:34 +0200 |
| | An increasing number of foreigners and Bulgarians alike are engaging in what has been described as "alcohol tourism" in the numerous resorts along the country's Southern Black Sea coast.
Scores of restaurants, discos, and hotels in the southern resorts, including Bulgaria's largest resort Sunny Beach, are offering cheap alcohol and cocktails which are attractive to both foreign and Bulgarian tourists, reports the Varna-based news site moreto.net,
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| | Ex Bulgarian Energy Minister Escapes Prosecution |
| | Thu, 29 Jul 2010 18:08:40 +0200 |
| | Bulgaria's former Energy Minister, Rumen Ovcharov, will not be probed by the Sofia City Appellate Prosecutor's Office over the annexes to the gas contracts signed with Russia in 2006.
The information was reported Thursday by the prosecutors in the case, saying there is no evidence of a crime and the claim is prescribed because the Amnesty Act postulated that no one can be prosecuted for premeditated mismanagement executed before July 1, 2008.
The prosecutors further point out the economic feasibility and profitability of the annexes can be debated, but nevertheless they do not bear any evidence of criminal activity such as consciously concluding an unprofitable deal inflicting serious damages for the country and benefiting particular individuals, including Ovacharov himself.
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| | Bulgarian Journalist Raises Assassination Plot Alert |
| | Thu, 29 Jul 2010 18:02:56 +0200 |
| | Ivo Indzhev, one of Bulgaria's most prominent journalists, who was kicked out four years ago from national private bTV for allegedly libeling President Georgi Parvanov, has warned of an assassination attempt being plotted against him.
"Bulgaria's senior prosecutor Boris Velchev has ordered a check of an alert for a planned assassination attempt against me, which was sent by a media," Indzhev wrote in his blog.
According to the announcement the plot was triggered by the journalist's latest book "A President on the Edge", which deals with Socialist President Georgi Parvanov.
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| | Bulgarian Labor Minister Confirms Gradual Retirement Reform |
| | Thu, 29 Jul 2010 17:23:57 +0200 |
| | The number of years of service required for retirement will increase gradually beginning January 1, 2011, Bulgaria's Social Policy and Labor Minister, Totyu Mladenov, reconfirms Thursday.
Mladenov made the announcement after a meeting with the parliamentary group of the opposition left-wing Coalition for Bulgaria, led by the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP).
The Minister explained the required number of years will go up by 1 in 2011 and with 1 more in 2012 and 2013 each to reach the planned 37 years for women (currently 34) and 40 years for men (currently 37).... |
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| | Bulgaria Ethnic Turks Leader Unscathed by Embezzlement Allegations |
| | Thu, 29 Jul 2010 17:12:23 +0200 |
| | Bulgaria ethnic Turkish leader Ahmed Dogan managed to escape prosecution over allegations that he pocketed BGN 1,5 M as a consultant of hydro projects funded by the state.
A meeting of the parliamentary commission for corruption fight and conflict of interests, which was to vote Thursday on sending Dogan to the judiciary, failed after two of its members surprisingly did not show up.
Borislav Velikov, MP from the Bulgarian Socialist Party, and Nikolay Kotsev from the ruling GERB party, failed to appear at the meeting for what were said to be "personal reasons", triggering suspicions of behind-the-scene moves aimed to rescue Ahmed Dogan.
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| | Bulgaria Mulls 2 Anti-mafia Agencies |
| | Thu, 29 Jul 2010 16:30:57 +0200 |
| | Bulgaria is planning to create two brand new agencies to counter corruption and organized crime in order to clean its tarnished image as one of the most corrupt EU Member States.
The statement was made by Bulgaria's Justice Minister, Margarita Popova, in an interview for Reuters, cited by Darik radio.
The interview notes the pressure on Romania and Bulgaria coming from Brussels to deal effectively with corruption and organized crime, but reminds the EC praised Bulgaria for its will to carry out reforms in their July report on justice and home affairs through the so-called Co-operation and Verification Mechanism (CVM).
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| | US Mission to NATO Political Counselor Kelly Degnan: Bulgaria Exemplifies Approaches for NATO's New Strategic Concept |
| | Thu, 29 Jul 2010 16:28:35 +0200 |
| | Interview of Novinite.com (Sofia News Agency) with Kelly Degnan, a political counselor at the US Mission to NATO. Degnan gave a presentation in Sofia on NATO's new strategic concept "NATO 2020" at a briefing organized by the US Embassy and the Atlantic Club in Bulgaria.
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| | Cleves Launches New Luxury Rental Project in Sofia |
| | Thu, 29 Jul 2010 15:55:02 +0200 |
| | Cleves, a luxury Sofia apartment rentals company. has opened a brand-new 15-apartment development at Cherkovna Str in Sofia's Oborishte municipality.
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| | Bulgaria Finance Minister Probed over Classified Info Leak |
| | Thu, 29 Jul 2010 15:54:20 +0200 |
| | Bulgaria's prosecutors have launched pre-trial proceedings against Finance Minister Simeon Djnakov over accusations of leaking classified information.
The minister has declined to comment.
The signal against Djankov was filed in February by the opposition Socialists, who accused him of disclosing a secret agreement between his predecessor, Plamen Oresharski and the governor of the Bulgarian Central Bank, BNB, Ivan Iskrov, to deposit part of the fiscal reserve in private banks.
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| | Bulgaria's Revenue Agency Wants Access to Credit Records |
| | Thu, 29 Jul 2010 15:46:19 +0200 |
| | Bulgaria's revenue agents must have full access to the credit records of companies that have applied for business loans, the Director of NRA, Krasimir Stefanov, says.
Stefanov spoke Thursday in an interview for the Bulgarian National Radio, BNR, saying it is a very urgent and pressing matter to grant this access because during the so-called "credit boom" businesses presented to banks forged information much different than the one listed in the National Revenue Agency (NRA) tax declarations.
According to the NRA Director, there are scores of instances when companies with zero profits have obtained loans in the amount of thousands of hundreds of EUR.
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| | Bulgarian Parliament Speaker Begs Bulgarians for Forgiveness |
| | Thu, 29 Jul 2010 15:30:50 +0200 |
| | Speaker of the Bulgarian Parliament Tsetska Tsacheva presented deep apologies to fellow Bulgarians over the saga around the scandalous amendment to the drugs law that was published this spring in the state Official Gazette without having been voted in plenary.
Speaking at Thursday's plenary, when the National Assembly adopted a report recommending the referral of the case to the prosecutor, Tsacheva said that what happened is a "stain" on her and the Parliament's reputation.
Tsacheva expressed especial regret at the fact that while chairing the fatal plenary sitting she did not pay enough attention to what was being read out from the tribune.
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| | Bulgarian Tourists Stranded in Greece over Hauliers Strike |
| | Thu, 29 Jul 2010 15:17:00 +0200 |
| | Thousands of tourists from Bulgaria, Russia and Serbia, who are traveling by car, remain stranded in northern Greece because of the lorry drivers strike, officials have said.
"Bookings by tourists from neighboring countries have also been frozen because of the strike," the head of the Hellenic Hotels Federation, Andreas Andreadis, said in a television interview Thursday.
The interview came just as the Greek government used a rare emergency order to force lorry drivers back to work after a three-day strike.
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| | Bulgarian Trade Representatives Asked to Lure Foreign Investors |
| | Thu, 29 Jul 2010 15:15:43 +0200 |
| | Increase of direct foreign investments and of export are defined as the two main tasks for Bulgaria's trade attaches abroad by Economy and Energy Minister, Traicho Traikov.
The Minister presented Thursday the new rules for the application process, the work and the assessment of the performance of the trade representatives and opportunities for their staff development.
Traikov spoke during a meeting with economy experts and advisors, saying from now on those representatives will be appointed for a 3-year term instead of the current 1-year in order to halt the practice to bring outside people into the system, who then leave to work for the corporate business.... |
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| | German Power Metal Band Helloween to Sing in Bulgaria in January |
| | Thu, 29 Jul 2010 15:07:19 +0200 |
| | German power/speed metal band Helloween will stage its fifth ever concert in Bulgaria in January 2011.
Helloween will be performing together with the Finnish metal band Stratovarius on January 23, 2010, in the Hristo Botev Hall, announced the concert organizers Loud Concerts.
The concert will be part of Helloween's "THE 7 SINNERS WORLD TOUR 2010/11", which will start in Vienna, Austria, in November 2010.
... |
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| | No Talks Yet with Somali Pirates for Release of Bulgarian Ship |
| | Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:40:58 +0200 |
| | There are no forthcoming negotiations between Bulgaria and the Somali pirates who hijacked the Bulgarian chemical tanker MV Panega, according to a report of NGO Ecoterra International.
The Bulgarian vessel Panega was hijacked on May 11, 2010, in the Gulf of Aden in the proximity of the internationally protected shipping corridor and approximately 100 nautical miles east of Aden (Yemen).
The chemical products tanker of 5 848 tonnes was en route from the Red Sea to India.... |
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| | CME: Ad Spending in Bulgaria Down by 12% in 2010 |
| | Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:35:33 +0200 |
| | Central European Media Enterprises Ltd., which bought Bulgaria's first national private television bTV earlier this year, has forecast that ad spending in Bulgaria will fall by 12% in 2010.
"TV add spending in 2010 did not match our expectations for recovery.... |
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| | Top Bulgarian Socialist Blasts US Ambassador in Open Letter to Obama |
| | Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:32:15 +0200 |
| | Ivelin Nikolov, a top-tier official of the Bulgarian Socialist Party, vented exasperation at the overall behavior of US ambassador to Bulgaria James Warlick, choosing the form of a self-styled open letter to US President Barack Obama published in Bulgarian daily Duma Thursday.
In the short text Nikolov, who is editor-in-chief of Duma, expresses disaffection with the US ambassador's ways of commenting on Bulgarian political life and of voicing strong positive and negative opinions on various domestic issues.
Nikolov claims that Warlick, among other things, "proclaims who is a criminal and who is not, without taking into consideration the courts.... |
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| | Bulgaria Vows to Bring back Roma from France |
| | Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:17:44 +0200 |
| | Bulgaria and Romania are undertaking all necessary measures to bring back the Roma, who have violated French laws, Bulgarian Interior Minister, Tsvetan Tsvetanov informs.
Tsvetanov spoke Thursday, in the aftermath of media reports about French Interior Minister, Brice Hortefeux, declaring Roma camps in the country would be demolished and all Roma involved in illegal activities would be immediately deported to Bulgaria and Romania.
"We have received the information and we are acting together with our Romanian colleagues to bring back those who have violated the law.... |
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| | Bulgaria Crowned Top Beach Destination for UK Travelers |
| | Thu, 29 Jul 2010 13:54:03 +0200 |
| | Bulgaria has been named the number one beach holiday destination for UK holiday-makers this summer in a brand new ranking released on Thursday.
Bulgaria's Black Sea Coast emerges as the top beach destination this summer, closely followed by North Tunisia, Antalya in Turkey, and Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt, according to the study, commissioned by Kelkoo, and conducted by the Center for Economics and Business Research.
The study rated the world's most popular beach destinations using the latest official statistics to assess the performance of 10 key travel criteria, including: climate, security, local affordability of goods and services, quality of food, the cost of flights and accommodation, tourist attractions, and the exchange rate.
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| | Bulgarian Muslims Stage New 'Chief Mufti' Rally |
| | Thu, 29 Jul 2010 13:38:39 +0200 |
| | Outraged imams submitted Thursday with the Parliament a declaration signed by 200 000 Bulgarian Muslims demanding annulment of the reinstatement of Nedim Gendzhev as Chief Mufti.
This is the latest in a series of protests all around the country against the May 12 ruling of the Supreme Court of Cassations which brought back Gendzhev as Chief Mufti.
In October 2009, the National Muslim Conference decided to elect Mustafa Ali Hadzhias Chief Mufti.... |
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| | Bulgarian Interior Minister Denies Police Brutality |
| | Thu, 29 Jul 2010 13:21:18 +0200 |
| | The police operation carried out in Kardzhali last Friday, when police broke in a private home and allegedly hurt people there, was thoroughly legal, stated Bulgarian Minister of Interior Tsvetan Tsvetanov Thursday.
"Everything that took place in Kardzhali is within the bounds of the law," said Tsvetanov, adding that until someone is proven to be guilty he, as a minister, will continue to defend "professional actions" on the part of policemen.
"We must not politicize a regular police action," called Tsvetanov, regarding criticism on the part of both people hurt and opposition parties Bulgarian Socialist Party and Movement for Rights and Freedoms.
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| | 2 Bulgarians Extradited to Germany for Human Trafficking |
| | Thu, 29 Jul 2010 12:57:40 +0200 |
| | Germany has asked Bulgaria to extradite two Bulgarian citizens over charges of human trafficking and pimping, the Bulgarian National Radio, BNR, reports.
The two, a father, 48, and his son, 24, abused and exploited at least three women in the German city of Bremen. The German authorities began their probe after being alerted by the Czech police when one of the victims, a 19-year-old girl, managed to send an sms to her relatives.... |
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| | Liverpool Eyes Bulgarian Aston Villa Midfielder Stiliyan Petrov - Report |
| | Thu, 29 Jul 2010 12:57:36 +0200 |
| | Liverpool manager is reportedly considering a move for Bulgarian Aston Villa midfielder Stiliyan Petrov, who he hopes will replace transfer-seeking Javier Mascherano.
Roy Hodgson admires the Bulgarian star's style and is ready to offer GBP 7 M for Petrov's services, The Mirror reported.
According to the article the Bulgarian star is aware of the Liverpool interest and could be keen on a move to Anfield - although Villa are desperate to keep their squad together despite so many being wanted men.
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| | German Foreign Minister: 'Turkey's Direction is Europe' |
| | Thu, 29 Jul 2010 12:52:55 +0200 |
| | German federal Minister of Foreign Affairs Guido Westerwelle voiced his conviction that Turkey's true orientation is a European one on his official visit to the country, but still left uncertainty over Turkey's eventual accession to the EU.
"Turkey's direction is Europe," said Westerwelle in Turkish at a joint press-conference with Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu, reports Deutsche Welle.
The German foreign minister stated that his country has a "great interest" in Turkey's looking towards the EU, adding that Germany views Turkey as "an exceptionally important strategic partner.... |
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| | Pakistan Mourns Worst-Ever Air Crash Victims |
| | Thu, 29 Jul 2010 12:34:30 +0200 |
| | Pakistan is observing a day of national mourning on Thursday after a plane crashed in hills north of the capital, Islamabad, in the country's worst-ever air disaster.
An Airbus A321 crashed as it was about to land in the capital Islamabad, killing all 152 people on board.
The domestic flight from the southern city of Karachi was operated by the private Pakistani airline Airblue, which has a good safety record.
... |
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| | Cabinet Takes Charge of Bulgaria's 'Air Force 1' |
| | Thu, 29 Jul 2010 12:21:57 +0200 |
| | Bulgaria's so-called Crew 28, which is taking care of the air flights of the Prime Minister, the President, the cabinet and other officials is now under the authority of the Council of Ministers.
The decision was made by the Members of the Bulgarian Parliament Thursday. Until now Crew 28 was under the authority of the Transport Ministry.... |
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| | Bulgaria Pressed to Fork Out EUR 67 M by End-2010 for N-Plant |
| | Thu, 29 Jul 2010 12:09:55 +0200 |
| | Bulgaria must pay by the end of the year an installment of EUR 67 M for its second nuclear power plant project, which has stalled over lack of a new investor and funding, a deputy minister has said.
"Bulgaria's outstanding payments for the project by the end of the year stand at EUR 67 M. The future expenses will depend on the work conducted by Russia's Atomstroyexport, commissioned to build the planned 2,000 megawatt plant," Deputy Minister Marij Kosev said in an interview for Trud daily.
... |
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| | Bulgarian Conservatives Brag about Parliamentary Boost |
| | Thu, 29 Jul 2010 11:58:38 +0200 |
| | The parliamentary group of Bulgaria's conservative Order, Law and Justice (RZS) party will have more members than the required quota of 10, the RZS leader, Yane Yanev, says.
The new group will have anywhere between 11 and 15 Members of the Parliament, Yanev pointed out, adding he had already notified the Speaker from the ruling center-right Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria (GERB) party, Tsetska Tsacheva, about the plan and she did not have objections.
During the talk with Tsacheva it had emerged that the reinstatement of a parliamentary group after its fall apart is possible because there is no such clause in the Parliamentary Code, so "what is not banned is allowed," the RZS MP, Emil Vasilev, joined in.
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| | Serbia Faces Fierce Opposition in UN over Kosovo Resolution |
| | Thu, 29 Jul 2010 10:53:49 +0200 |
| | Serbia has tabled a resolution at the UN calling for thorough dialogue on all open questions regarding the status of Kosovo, amid staunch opposition by key Security Council members, reports Serbian news agency Blic.
Last week Serbian President Boris Tadic and foreign minister Vuk Jeremic announced that Serbia does not regard the decision of UN International Court of Justice that Kosovo's declaration of independence does not breach international law as referring to a right to secession and vowed that the matter should be settled by the UN General Assembly.
The Serbian government stance received full parliamentary support at home.
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| | Archaeologists Uncover John the Baptist Relics in Bulgaria's Sozopol - Report |
| | Thu, 29 Jul 2010 10:04:57 +0200 |
| | Parts of St. John the Baptist's relics might have been discovered during archaeological excavations in Bulgaria's southern Black Sea town of Sozopol, report Bulgarian media.
Archaeologists investigating the Sv.... |
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| | Immigration? Given Choice Between a Skilled Indian and an Unskilled Bulgarian, I Know Who I'd Prefer |
| | Thu, 29 Jul 2010 09:45:27 +0200 |
| | By Stephen Glover, the Daily Mail
As Lib Dem Shadow Chancellor, cuddly Vince Cable was the nation's best-loved politician. In government, he looks testy and grumpy, and evidently hates working with the Tories.
... |
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| | UN Proclaims Universal Human Right to Clean Water |
| | Thu, 29 Jul 2010 09:35:16 +0200 |
| | Safe and clean drinking water and sanitation is a fundamental human right, proclaimed the UN General Assembly, settling a debate that has continued for 15 years at the UN.
The resolution, tabled by Bolivia, received 122 votes in favor, with none against and 41abstaning, out of UN's 192 member-states.
The UN resolution declares that safe water and sanitation are "essential to the full enjoyment of life and all other human rights.... |
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| | Berba's Mom Denies Allegations His Brother Is 'Kidnapped' |
| | Thu, 29 Jul 2010 08:48:04 +0200 |
| | My son Asen is not missing as UK tabloid Sun will have it, stated Margarita Berbatova, mother of Bulgarian Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov.
"That is complete nonsense, I am constantly in touch with my son," said Berbatova for Bulgarian news agency BGNES.
Thursday The Sun came out with the title "Berba's Brother 'Kidnapped'", explaining that Asen Berbatov was abducted by gangsters in Bulgaria over debt and "has not been seen for a month.... |
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| | Bulgarian Police Violence Victim: Police Randomly Targeted My Family |
| | Thu, 29 Jul 2010 08:32:13 +0200 |
| | Kadir Mustafov, member of the Kardzhali family that recently suffered from violence on part of the Bulgarian police, stated that policemen had absolutely no ground for entering his home and probably had ulterior motives.
Speaking in an interview for the Bulgarian National Radio Thursday morning, Mustafov said that interior minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov must have been misled from his Karzhdali subordinates and that the account presented by him before Parliament Wednesday was incorrect.
Mustafov again denied that he had called Dzhem Mustafa to order prostitutes, saying that he simply wanted to use his taxi services.... |
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| | The Bulgarian Taxis That Will Take You for a Ride |
| | Thu, 29 Jul 2010 03:54:59 +0200 |
| | The burly or, some would say, just fat cab driver is reading some of them cheap, bad-quality papers in his taxi parked in front of a large mall in downtown Sofia when a jeep with a tinted windshield slowly pulls over, and four young muscular guys in dark clothes get out of it.
The cab driver doesn't realize yet what is about to happen. His bald forehead is sweating in the summer heat.... |
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| | France Vows to Deport All Bulgarian Roma |
| | Wed, 28 Jul 2010 20:51:40 +0200 |
| | The French Interior Minister, Brice Hortefeux, declared half of the illegal Roma camps in the country would be demolished in the upcoming three months.
Hortefeux further vowed to deport to Bulgaria and Romania all Roma, who have violated the law in any way.
The Minister's statements came after an emergency cabinet meeting following the clashes between Roma and the police in central France.
... |
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| | Bulgaria to Mandate Direct Deposits for All Salaries |
| | Wed, 28 Jul 2010 20:05:38 +0200 |
| | The representatives of the Bulgarian cabinet, the employers and labor unions, from the so-called Three-Way Council, agreed Wednesday on several new measures for reducing the social security deficit.
The debate surrounding the Social Security Institute (NOI) lasted three days and concluded with promises from Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, that the mandatory insurance contribution would not go up until the end of 2012 while criminal charges would be faced only by employers who conceal these contributions and not by those who fail to pay them.
The business in the face of the employers say that increasing insurance deposits would not solve the problems of the retirement reform and of NOI because it would not motivate the economy's recovery.
... |
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| | EC Vows to Back Bulgaria's Health Care Reform |
| | Wed, 28 Jul 2010 19:34:42 +0200 |
| | The EU Health and Consumer Policy Commissioner, John Dalli, declared he will assist Bulgaria in the creation of an integrated electronic health care system.
The information was released by the Bulgarian Health Ministry Wednesday after a meeting between Dalli and Bulgaria's Deputy Health Minister, Desislava Dimitrova, during the 18th International AIDS Conference in Vienna.
EC is to help Bulgaria in the development and implementation of electronic health records which are to connect online patients, doctors and the National Health Insurance Fund (NZOK).
... |
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| | Vorskla Steel Declares Interest in Owning Bulgaria's Obsolete Mill |
| | Wed, 28 Jul 2010 18:59:14 +0200 |
| | The CEO of Vorskla Steel Bulgaria, Viktor Demyanyuk, declared at a press conference Wednesday that the company is still interested in purchasing the Bulgarian obsolete steal mill Kremikovzi.
The Ukrainian Vorskla Steal, related to billionaire, Konstantin Zhevago, will take part in the public tender for the mill's sale despite the fact the latter is "a jalopy with the price of a Mercedes," according to Demyanyuk.
The CEO insists his company, which has been declared insolvent, has money for the purchase, but wants first to check thoroughly the real condition and state of Kremikovzi in order to make sure he can have a return on the investment and the mill can really produce something that can be sold on the world market.
... |
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| | Melrose Finds New Natural Gas Deposits in Bulgaria |
| | Wed, 28 Jul 2010 18:29:52 +0200 |
| | Natural gas prices in Bulgaria will go down in the fall of 2010 as a result of extraction from three new deposits discovered by UK-based company Melrose resources.
The three new natural gas deposits - Kaliakra, Kavarna, and Karvana East - are located in the very northeast of Bulgaria, in the Black Sea off the Kaliakra Cape.
The discovery of the new deposits was announced Wednesday by Bulgaria's Economy Minister Traicho Traikov together with the CEO of Melrose David Archer and UK Ambassador to Bulgaria Steve Williams.
... |
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| | Condoleezza Rice, Aretha Franklin Duet for Charity |
| | Wed, 28 Jul 2010 18:08:02 +0200 |
| | The former US Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, and the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, took the stage in a rare duet.
The concert was held Tuesday evening at Philadelphia's Mann Music Center and aimed at raising funds for urban children and awareness for music and the arts.
Rice, who was the Secretary of State under the Administration of President, George W.... |
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| | Beaten Family to Sue Bulgarian Police in European Court |
| | Wed, 28 Jul 2010 17:29:27 +0200 |
| | The Mustafovi family, in whose home the police have broken in Friday evening, will sue the Bulgarian police in the European Court of Human Rights.
During a Parliamentary hearing on Wednesday, the Bulgarian Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov has accused the son of the family, Kadir Mustafov, of ordering two prostitutes.
According to the minister, the reason for the police entering the family home was that Kadir has called a taxi driver, who, according to the police, was a pimp and who's phone was under surveillance.
... |
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| | UNESCO Statute of Bulgaria's Nesebar Hangs on Thread |
| | Wed, 28 Jul 2010 17:25:57 +0200 |
| | Bulgaria's historical Black Sea town of Nesebar will remain a UNESCO World Heritage City for the time being, the Mayor, Nikolay Dimitrov, announced Wednesday.
The item to discuss the eventual change of the statute of Nesebar has been removed from the agenda of the 34th session of the World Heritage Committee in Brazil. It is still, however, unclear if the issue would come up again or if this is the final decision on it.
... |
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| | Bulgarian Labor Minister Claims No Delay of Pension Reform |
| | Wed, 28 Jul 2010 17:03:14 +0200 |
| | The Bulgarian Labor Minister Totyu Mladenov has announced that the pension reform will not be postponed due to the "dramatic situation" in the National Social Security Institute.
Mladenov participated in a meeting Wednesday with the head of the Institute, Hristina Mitreva, the executive director of the National Revenue Agency, Krasimir Stefanov, employers and trade unions.
"At the moment the deficit in the Institute is BGN 206 M, due to the unpaid insurances for the first half of 2010," Mladenov said, noting that the macro framework envisions BGN 50 M smaller deficit for 2011, more than BGN 300 M less for 2012 and more than BGN 570 M for 2013.
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| | NGO Outraged by Sofia City Hall Property Swap |
| | Wed, 28 Jul 2010 16:58:37 +0200 |
| | The Sofia City Hall must revise their decision to bind the purchase of the land plot near the Russian Church with the sale of its share of the Central Market Hall, the NGO "Civic Committee for Salvation 2000," demands.
Citizens insist on obtaining from the municipality complete information about all procedures involved in the deal and want it published on the internet, along with the reports of the appraisers.
They further ask the Mayor, Yordanka Fandakova, to comply with the Construction and Public Works Act and give all parks and gardens in the capital a public, municipal property statute.
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| | Americans Wish for Lower Immigration Rates - Gallup Poll |
| | Wed, 28 Jul 2010 16:28:57 +0200 |
| | More than 60 percent of Americans support the state of Arizona law to criminalize illegal immigration, which is set to take effect tomorrow, July 29, 2010.
"The law, known locally as SB1070, requires police officers, "when practicable," to detain people they reasonably suspect are in the country without authorization and to verify their status with federal officials, unless doing so would hinder an investigation or emergency medical treatment. The law also makes it a state crime - a misdemeanor - to not carry immigration papers.... |
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| | Majority of Bulgarians to Skip Summer Vacation |
| | Wed, 28 Jul 2010 16:28:20 +0200 |
| | A large majority of all Bulgarians, sixty three percent, are not going on vacation this summer, according to a recent poll of the National Center for Study of Public Opinion (NZIOM).
The poll shows results not much different than two years ago when this percentage stood at 64.
Similarly to previous years only young people, people with college education and the residents of the capital Sofia are more inclined to travel for leisure during the summer season - about 60% from all three groups plan a summer holiday.
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| | Bulgarian Ethnic Turkish Party Approaches EP over Police Brutality |
| | Wed, 28 Jul 2010 15:46:53 +0200 |
| | Bulgarian ethnic Turkish party DPS has announced it will inform the European Parliament for the incident in the city of Kardzhali where police officers have broken in and beaten a family "by mistake".
DPS have been unsatisfied with the explanation by Bulgaria's Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov in the Parliament Wednesday.
Tsvetanov has explained that the son of the beaten family has been involved in the procure activities by the real police's target, the pimp Dzhem Mustafa.
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| | Wife of Sentenced Sofia Heating Utility Head Charged with Fraud |
| | Wed, 28 Jul 2010 15:43:22 +0200 |
| | The wife of the notorious former director of the state-owned heating utility Toplofikatsia Sofia will be charged with large-scale fraud.
The information was announced Wednesday by the Sofia City Prosecutor, Nikolay Kokinov, following earlier reports that the woman has been arrested in a police operation targeting blackmailers.
The tip-off was sent by a business lady, whom the suspects pressed to pay BGN 30 000 so that the contract between her company and the Sofia heating utility is not suspended.... |
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| | Bulgaria Troubled Steel Behemoth Assets Put on Sale |
| | Wed, 28 Jul 2010 15:02:00 +0200 |
| | The site and assets of Bulgaria's largest steelmaker Kremikovtzi will be offered for sale in the middle of September, four months after the behemoth was sent into liquidation.
The closed-bid auction will start at BGN 565 517 510, which according to trade unions and analysts is far below the market price.
It was not immediately clear whether investors have declared interest in the sale.
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| | Bulgaria's July Business Climate Shows Signs of Recovery |
| | Wed, 28 Jul 2010 15:00:46 +0200 |
| | The business climate in Bulgaria is showing some signs of recovery in July with an increase of 1,4 points compared to June, according to the latest figures from the National Statistical Institute (NSI).
The industrial business climate index growth of 2.3 point in July was mainly due to improved assessment of industrial managers about the enterprises' current state and moderate optimism regarding upcoming months.
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| | Romanian Companies Mull Over Moving to Bulgaria |
| | Wed, 28 Jul 2010 14:50:08 +0200 |
| | Romanian companies have announced their intentions of moving their businesses to Bulgaria due to the tax policies in Bucharest, the Romanian "Ziarull Financiar" reports.
"The new measures, taken on a daily basis by the government, do not surprise me. I want to move Interagro's headquarters to Bulgaria in September.... |
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| | No Survivors in Pakistan Plane Crash |
| | Wed, 28 Jul 2010 14:35:48 +0200 |
| | A plane has crashed in hills north of the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, killing all 152 people on board.
The plane, an Airblue flight flying from Karachi to Islamabad, came down in the Margalla Hills.
Officials said the plane lost contact with the control tower minutes before landing.
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| | Jurgen Roth: Bulgaria Is on Right Track |
| | Wed, 28 Jul 2010 13:23:38 +0200 |
| | German journalist Jurgen Roth, who is on trial for slander in Bulgaria for the publishing of his book about organized crime, "The New Bulgarian Demons," has something good to say about the Balkan nation's fight against corruption and organized crime.
"Prime Minister Boyko Borisov has definitely brought positive change to Bulgaria," Roth told Deutsche Welle, but added that the government still lacks the political will to change in many spheres.
Roth stressed that one of the most serious problems in Bulgaria is the lack of freedom of speech and the press, an opinion shared by most of the Bulgarian colleagues with whom he has spoken.... |
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| | Bulgaria's PM Opens Road Junction in Veliko Tarnovo |
| | Wed, 28 Jul 2010 13:12:27 +0200 |
| | Bulgaria's PM Boyko Borisov has participated in the opening ceremony of the road junction "Kachitza" in the city of Veliko Tarnovo.
The Bulgarian Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov and the Minister for Regional Development Rosen Plevneliev have also participated in the ceremony Wednesday.
The facility is a system of two roadabouts, which will help overcome the conflict situation, created by the crossing of the main road Sofia-Varna and one of the main streets in the city, crossed by more than 30 000 people daily.
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| | Bulgaria's Chief Prosecutor Snubs PM's Request over Alleged 'Killer' |
| | Wed, 28 Jul 2010 13:05:05 +0200 |
| | Bulgaria's Chief Prosecutor Boris Velchev has declared there was no way he could punish a prosecutor for making a deal with a defendant detained recently in police operation "Killers".
On Tuesday, Bulgaria's Prime Minister Boyko Borisov urged Velchev to inspect the case Metodi Ivanov, known as the "armorer" of the "Killers", a recently busted group of paid assassins suspected for the June murder of football club president Yuriy Galev.
Two years ago Ivanov was offered a deal by the prosecution, and was sentenced to 2.... |
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| | Bulgarian Police Arrests 8 Drug Dealers, Prostitutes |
| | Wed, 28 Jul 2010 12:40:38 +0200 |
| | Bulgaria's Unit for Combating Organized Crime has arrested eight people during a special operation against drug dealing and prostitution.
The police have announced that the operation was conducted late Tuesday in Sofia.
A 36-year-old dealer and his 37-year-old client have been detected in the Sofia district "Dragalevtzi" and were arrested at the moment of the drug sale.... |
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| | Bulgaria State TV New Head Election Challenged in Court |
| | Wed, 28 Jul 2010 12:32:29 +0200 |
| | A failed runner for the office of director-general of the Bulgarian state-owned national television channel BNT has appealed the contest outcome, citing technical irregularities and corruption allegations.
Svetlana Bozhilova argues that the competition was launched before the end of the term of the previous BNT head in breach of the procedure. Besides she accuses the winner Vyara Ankova of being involved in corruption schemes.
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| | AES Plans to Construct USD 400 M Solar Power Plant in Bulgaria |
| | Wed, 28 Jul 2010 11:55:35 +0200 |
| | AES Corp., the U.S.... |
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| | Spain's Grupo Ortiz, Electra Set Up JV for Bulgaria Market |
| | Wed, 28 Jul 2010 11:29:41 +0200 |
| | Spain's energy group Electra Holding announced it has joined forces with Madrid-based construction firm Grupo Ortiz to work on infrastructure projects in Bulgaria and other countries in Eastern Europe.
The construction company will hold a majority stake in the newly formed joint venture company, which is called Ortiz Electra and plans to run in tenders for the construction of railways and purifying stations.
In April energy holding Electra announced it plans to build a 100 MW wind power park in the central part of Bulgaria and has already bought 5000 decares of land.
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| | Son of Beaten Bulgarian Family Works with Police's Target |
| | Wed, 28 Jul 2010 11:02:18 +0200 |
| | The son of Mustafovi, in whose home the police have broken in, has been working as a pimp with the police's target, Dzhem Mustafa, Bulgaria's interior minister has announced.
Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov explained Wednesday in the Parliament the details for the incident in the southern town of Kardzhali, in which plainclothes police officers beat up by mistake a family during operation.
According to the minister's explanations, on May 18 the police received tip-off alleging Dzhem Mustafa of involvement in prostitution rings.... |
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| | Passenger Plane Crashes near Pakistan Capital |
| | Wed, 28 Jul 2010 09:53:36 +0200 |
| | An Airblue plane has crashed in hills north of the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, with more than 150 people on board.
Police said it was an flight to Islamabad from Karachi.
It crashed in the Margalla Hills to the north of the city, and Pakistani television showed images of smoke and flames on a foggy hillside, with helicopters flying overhead.
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| | Lufthansa Technik Expands in Bulgaria |
| | Wed, 28 Jul 2010 09:44:07 +0200 |
| | Lufthansa Technik Sofia, a joint venture between Germany's Lufthansa Technik and the Bulgarian Aviation Group, announced it will invest in the construction of new facilities for aircraft overhaul and maintenance near Sofia Airport.
The company, which has served so far 40 planes of more than 20 airlines in Europe, the Middle East and Northern Africa, said it has been flooded by orders and will accept no more by the end of 2011.
Another 35 aircraft will be serviced over the next 17 months.
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| | CME Q2 Revenue Up Thanks to Bulgarian Acquisition |
| | Wed, 28 Jul 2010 09:25:24 +0200 |
| | Central European Media Enterprises Ltd., which bought Bulgaria's first national private television bTV earlier this year, said its revenues rose 10.3% to USD 201.... |
| |
| | Bulgarian Odyssey |
| | Wed, 28 Jul 2010 08:48:21 +0200 |
| | By Tyler Guthrie
The Washington Post
The hard cider has proved to be unpalatable, and the rocket stove cracked after the first use.... |
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| | Wife of Sentenced Sofia Heating Utility Head Arrested for Blackmail |
| | Wed, 28 Jul 2010 08:38:02 +0200 |
| | The wife of the notorious former director of the state-owned heating utility Toplofikatsia Sofia has been arrested in a police operation targeting blackmailers.
The tip-off was sent by a business lady, whom the suspects pressed to pay BGN 30 000 so that the contract between her company and Sofia heating utility is not suspended. Stanislava Dimitrova, 25, and another three men were detained as they were handed BGN 10 000, the first installment of the requirement sum.
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| | Bulgaria's Interior Faces Opposition Ire over Police Brutality |
| | Wed, 28 Jul 2010 08:37:41 +0200 |
| | Bulgaria's parliament will hear on Wednesday Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov in connection with an incident in the southern town of Kurdzhali, in which plainclothes police officers beat up by mistake a family during an operation.
The hearing will be held at the request of the opposition left-wing Coalition for Bulgaria and the predominantly ethnic Turkish Movement for Rights and Freedoms.
Four policemen broke in the home of Aysel Mustafova in Kardzhali late on Friday night, and thrashed a family of four and a guest from Turkey.
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| | Bulgaria's FM Heads for Damascus to Settle Syrian Debt |
| | Wed, 28 Jul 2010 08:15:11 +0200 |
| | Syria's outstanding debt to Bulgaria will be high on the agenda of the country's foreign minister during his two-day visit to Damascus, starting on Wednesday.
Minister Nikolay Mladenov is scheduled to confer with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Prime Minister Mohammed Atri and Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem.
Syria and Bulgaria signed in April a deal to write off most of Damascus' outstanding debt to the European nation.
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