President Iliana Iotova on Wednesday welcomed the agreement between Bulgaria and Greece for the return of the remains attributed to medieval Bulgarian ruler Tsar Samuel, describing it as a major achievement for the Bulgarian Government and diplomacy.
Speaking to journalists before a concert marking 170 years of the community cultural centre movement in Bulgaria and the 115th anniversary of the Union of Bulgarian Community Cultural Centres, Iotova said the return would finally bring Tsar Samuel’s remains home to Bulgaria.
She said she had followed the talks with Greece over the years and described the agreement as an achievement for Bulgaria, crediting the Government, Bulgarian diplomacy and Prime Minister Rumen Radev.
Asked whether she expected a reaction from Skopje and the Government of North Macedonia to the transfer, Iotova said a reaction could always be expected from there. She added that Bulgaria currently had another issue to discuss with Skopje, concerning Iva Mihaylova.
At the start of the Government meeting on September 29, Prime Minister Rumen Radev announced that Bulgaria and Greece had reached what he described as a historic agreement on the return of Tsar Samuel’s remains following intensive negotiations. The Bulgarian Government said efforts to secure their return had continued since 1965, when Greek archaeologist Nikolaos Moutsopoulos discovered them during excavations at the Basilica of St Achillios on the island of the same name in the Small Prespa Lake.
Radev will travel to the Museum of Byzantine Culture in Thessaloniki on the morning of October 3, where the remains will be formally handed over to Bulgaria at a ceremony hosted by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
They will then be transported to Sofia aboard a Bulgarian Air Force Spartan aircraft and placed in a specially made sarcophagus at the St Sophia Church.
Radev has invited the public to gather at Alexander I Square in Sofia at 12:30 p.m. on October 3 to welcome the remains. A procession will then accompany them to the St Sophia Church.
Bulgaria will also receive remains found in two other sarcophagi at the same basilica, which are believed to belong to Tsar Gavril Radomir and other members of the royal family.
President Iotova Welcomes Agreement on Return of Tsar Samuel’s Remains to Bulgaria 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-09-30 18:18:00
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