Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's killing machine must be stopped, Israel's Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has declared at a state visit in Bulgaria's capital Sofia.

Lieberman, who arrived to Bulgaria late Thursday night, had a meeting and a joint press conference with his Bulgarian counterpart Nikolay Mladenov in Sofia Friday.

He stressed that Israel is following very carefully the situation in the Middle East and in particular the development of the so called Arab Spring – the wave of revolutions in Arab countries that has changed several Arab regimes since 2011.

"Israel is following closely the situation in the Middle East, and especially in Syria. We must exert all efforts to stop the bloodshed and Assad's killing machine. We wish to see Syria as a democratic state observing human rights, rule of law, and international law," Lieberman declared in Sofia.

Bulgaria's Foreign Minister Mladenov has pointed out that Bulgaria and Israel share the opinion that all Middle Eastern countries that aspire for freedom and democracy must have the respective institutions defending human rights, law, and secular government.

He said Bulgaria supports the continuing talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority without intermediaries, in a way that can lead to actual results.

"This dialogue must provide for achieving permanent peace in which both Israel and the Palestinian State can live in peace and security, do not present a threat for one another, and control their territory in a way guaranteeing the economic development of the entire region," Mladenov said.

"For Bulgaria, the development of our relations will all Middle Eastern states remains an important priority because it creates opportunities for our economic development," the Bulgarian Foreign Minister explained.

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