National Day of Bulgaria was solemnly celebrated in Yerevan

ArmInfo.The National Holiday of Bulgaria - the Day of Liberation of Bulgaria from the Ottoman  Oppression  was solemnly celebrated In Yerevan. 

During the reception organized on the occasion of the National Day,  Bulgarian Ambassador to Armenia Kalin Anastasov noted that 146 years  ago his country, freed from the Ottoman oppression appeared again on  the map of Europe as a free and independent state.

"Today we are developing our state on the foundation that our  ancestors left us," the ambassador said.  At the same time, Anastasov  noted that official Sofia is developing its ties with friendly  Yerevan. "We have always had good ties with the Armenian people, who  have done a lot for Bulgaria. And we remember this," he said, adding  that today Armenian-Bulgarian relations are developing dynamically.

In this vein, he drew attention to the visits of the top leadership  of Armenia to Bulgaria, during which fruitful discussions took place  on the agenda for the development of bilateral cooperation.

"We have excellent political relations. But we still have work to do  in the economic sector, as well as in the field of education and  youth, since our future lies with the youth," the ambassador said.

The Bulgarian diplomat considers the launch of a direct flight  between Yerevan and Sofia last year a positive result. "More than 20  thousand citizens have already taken advantage of these flights. I  believe that after March 31, when Bulgaria officially becomes part of  the Schengen zone, interest in our country will increase even more  for Armenian citizens. And our citizens got the opportunity to  discover Armenia," the diplomat said, also pointing out the potential  for Armenian-Bulgarian cooperation in the energy sector.  In turn,  Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia Paruyr Hovhannisyan,  congratulating friendly Bulgaria on the national holiday, recalled  that Armenians participated in the struggle of the Bulgarian people  for independence.

"Bulgaria was among the first states that gave shelter to those who  fled the Armenian genocide in the Ottoman Empire. Our interaction is  quite meaningful, bilateral relations are developing dynamically.   Mutual visits are quite intense: the President of Armenia the head of  the Foreign Ministry visited Sofia, political consultations were  held" , added the Armenian diplomat.

At the same time, Hovhannisyan stated that Bulgaria is one of the  most important partners of Armenia in Europe, and always supports all  joint initiatives. "Warm relations have developed between our  peoples.  They are truly friendly people and a trusted partner for  us," the Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia summed up.

The event was attended by diplomats of foreign countries accredited  in Armenia, government officials, social and political figures and  the media representatives.