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President invites Putin to make official visit to Bulgaria

Putin believes that Bulgarian President Rumen Radev’s visit to Russia will herald the resumption of full-fledged relations between the two countries

SOCHI, May 22. /TASS/. Bulgarian President Rumen Radev has invited Russian leader Vladimir Putin to make an official visit to the country, as he himself told reporters following talks with the Russian president.

"There are still many issues on which we disagree. Nevertheless, I would like to reiterate my invitation to President Putin to visit Bulgaria this year while we celebrate the 140th anniversary of Bulgaria’s liberation from Ottoman rule and the victory in the Russo-Turkish war of 1877-1878," Radev said.

The Bulgarian president pointed out that his current visit was aimed at resuming dialogue between the two countries. He noted that restoring trust was a difficult task because relations needed to be rebuilt amid sanctions on Russia and differences between the European Union, NATO and Russia.

"However, the first step in this direction has been taken. President Putin and I have made a strategic overview of relations between our counties, which revealed a huge potential for cooperation in trade, energy, tourism, culture and transport," Radev said.

He also expressed hope that Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko Borisov’s upcoming visit to Russia would advance plans to resume cooperation.

Putin believes that Bulgarian President Rumen Radev’s visit to Russia will herald the resumption of full-fledged relations between the two countries.

"I believe that Mr. Radev’s visit is a good signal for the resumption of full-scale Russian-Bulgarian relations," Putin said after bilateral negotiations.

He added that one-on-one and broader talks were detailed and thorough.

"I briefed Mr. President on our priorities regarding bilateral relations and Russia’s approaches to a number of international problems and issues," Putin said.