IMF Concludes Regular Mission in Bulgaria, Recommends Restoring VAT to Pre-Pandemic Levels
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has wrapped up its regular mission in Bulgaria
HOT: » Assessing the Legacy of Bulgaria's "Denkov" Cabinet: Achievements, Failures, and What Comes Next
The Bulgarian city of Haskovo and its Turkish sister city of Edirne are freezing ties over Haskovo's grant the name Armentsi ("Armenians") to a park located on its territory.
The move, triggered by the Turkish side, was announced in official letter by Edirne Mayor Recep G?rkan, quoted by a Haskovo-based local news service Haskovo.net.
Haskovo and Edirne are lying on the respective sides of the Bulgarian-Turkish border, each located dozens of kilometers from the frontier.
"My affliction is not related to the name, but to the grounds on which it was chosen," G?rkan is quoted as writing in the letter dated April 21.
In the end of March, Haskovo's municipal council voted to rename a park located in the city after the "Armenians". The mayor of Edirne is now arguing that the occasion centenary of what a number of countries claim was "genocide" committed against Armenians on behalf of the Ottoman Empire.
In G?rkan's words, the choice of name is a result of a "unilateral, selective and divisive view of a period that is tragic for the entire population of the Ottoman Empire."
Haskovo's move is "met with a lot of disappointment by the entire population of Edirne," the letter reportedly reads further on.
As a result, Edirne is freezing the agreement under which it became a sister city to Haskovo and is also suspending economic, cultural, social and trade relations with the city.
Haskovo Mayor Georgi Ivanov said he neither intends to comment on the remarks of his colleague nor to respond.
Turkey disputes numbers of Armenian victims put forward by Armenians themselves and some historians, who claim up to 1.5 million people might have been killed.
The issue was recently raised by Pope Francis, who openly called the killings "the first genocide of the 20th century", sparking the anger of Ankara.
Bulgarian MPs, who are discussing the issue on Wednesday in Parliament after a long Easter recess, are due to adopt on Friday a position as to whether or not Sofia will recognize the genocide.
We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!
A devastating incident unfolded in the Bulgarian town of Kazanlak as a fourth-grade student tragically lost his life in the schoolyard
As night descends, expect an increase and thickening of clouds across Bulgaria, with light rainfall anticipated in certain areas of Western Bulgaria
Angel Marin, who served as vice president of Bulgaria from 2002 to 2012, passed away today at the age of 82, according to an announcement made by his son, Simeon Marin
An alarming incident unfolded at one of Sofia's bustling intersections as an ambulance overturned, leaving chaos in its wake
The mayor of the "Izgrev" district in Sofia, Dr. Delyan Georgiev, announced the completion of the new nursery located within the residential complex of "Iztok"
A young woman from Great Britain is fighting for her life after a tragic ski incident in the popular Bulgarian resort of Bansko.
Norwegian Inspiration: Bulgaria's Move Towards Environmentally Friendly Prisons
Nexo Is Suing Bulgaria For Over $3 Billion