Greece will return the remains of Tsar Samuel to Bulgaria on October 3, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said on Tuesday, drawing support from government and opposition representatives.
“We have reached a historic agreement on the return of the remains of Tsar Samuel,” Radev told the Cabinet.
Radev will attend the handover at the Museum of Byzantine Culture in Thessaloniki, at a ceremony hosted by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. The remains will be flown to Sofia aboard a Spartan aircraft and placed in a sarcophagus in the Church of St Sophia.
A public ceremony is planned in Sofia’s Battenberg Square on October 3. Remains believed to belong to Tsar Gavrail Radomir and other royal family members will also be transferred.
The Cabinet approved an agreement providing for the reciprocal transfer of historical, religious and cultural artefacts and relics for safekeeping.
Progressive Bulgaria Floor Leader Petar Vitanov described the agreement as historic and urged Bulgarians to set aside divisions between left and right, government and opposition for the October 3 ceremony. He described Samuel as part of Bulgarian statehood and collective memory. Fellow Progressive Bulgaria MP Yanka Tyankova also welcomed the return of the remains and artefacts held in Greece.
Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev described the development as unprecedented, crediting cooperation between Bulgaria and Greece and the personal efforts of Radev and Bulgaria’s ambassador to Greece. Speaking in Blagoevgrad, he said security measures had been taken for the ceremony and encouraged citizens to attend.
The opposition Democratic Bulgaria (DB) also welcomed the agreement. Deputy Floor Leader Bozhidar Bozhanov said the process had begun under Kiril Petkov’s government in 2021–2022.
“All Bulgarian governments deserve credit,” Bozhanov said.
Continue the Change (CC) MP Velislav Velichkov called the agreement a major achievement of Bulgarian diplomacy, crediting Mitsotakis, Petkov and Bulgaria’s ambassador to Greece. He said it gave Bulgarians reason for national pride and affirmed Samuel’s Bulgarian identity.
CC leader Assen Vassilev told reporters that Bulgarian Ambassador to Greece Valentin Poryazov “moved mountains” to make this happen. Former Prime Minister Kiril Petkov also said he was very proud that, a thousand years after the death of the Bulgarian ruler, his remains were being returned to Bulgaria.
Samuel’s remains were discovered by Greek archaeologist Nikolaos Moutsopoulos at the Basilica of St Achilles on an island in Lake Prespa and have been kept at the Thessaloniki museum.
Greece to Return Tsar Samuel’s Remains, Bulgarian Government and Opposition Welcome Agreement 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-09-29 15:10:00
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