MOSCOW, June 18. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov received Bulgarian Ambassador in Moscow Boyko Kotsev in relation to the end of his diplomatic mission, the Russian Foreign Ministry informed on Monday.

The message published by the ministry states that Lavrov has presented Kotsev with a special Russian Foreign Ministry badge "For Cooperation" for his sizeable contribution to developing and strengthening Russian-Bulgarian relations. "In the course of the talks, they have discussed relevant aspects of Russian-Bulgarian cooperation in light of the activation of political dialogue. [Lavrov] has noted the ambassador’s personal contribution to promoting bilateral cooperation," the ministry noted.

In 2018, Bulgaria celebrated the 140th anniversary of the country’s liberation from the Ottoman Empire’s rule. On March 3, 1878, the Treaty of San Stefano was signed, which provided for the creation of an autonomous Principality of Bulgaria following 500 years of Ottoman domination.