Syrian President paid historical visit to Bulgaria

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad paid a visit to Bulgaria on Tuesday (November 9th), the first by a Syrian head of state in 24 years. During a joint press conference with Bulgarian counterpart Georgi Parvanov, Assad urged Bulgaria “to play its role, both in its bilateral relations with Israel and within the EU, to urge Israel [to continue] the peace process”. Parvanov expressed support for Syria’s attempts to deepen its ties with the EU. The two leaders also discussed an association agreement between the EU and Syria that was initiated in 2004 but never signed. They also talked about ways to boost economic co-operation.