Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (L) meets with Bulgarian Foreign Minister Nikolay Mladenov (R) in Damascus, Syria, 10 April 2011. EPA/SANA/BGNES
Bulgaria's Foreign Minister Nikolay Mladenov has urged for an end to violence in Syria and for decisive reforms during a one-day visit to Damascus.
Mladenov has told Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad that he hopes the spiral of violence in Syria will be broken, while Assad has explained to the Bulgarian top diplomat the reforms that his government intends to carry out in the social, political, and economic sphere, the press service of the Bulgarian Foreign Minister announced.
Over the recent weeks, Syria has seen increased civil unrest not unlike states in the Arab world; dozens of people have already been killed in clashes between security forces and protesters against the Assad regime.
"We came to learn your assessment of the situation because Syria is of key importance especially against the backdrop of the events in North Africa and the Middle East," Nikolay Mladenov told his Syrian counterpart Valid Al-Moalem.
According to the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry, the two top diplomats have agreed to seek opportunities for using Bulgaria's experience in the reform of media and election legislation and local authorities.