Bulgaria Counts on 'Good Ties' with Lebanon for Burgas Bombing Investigation

Bulgaria relies on the government of Lebanon for assistance in investigating the 2012 Burgas bus bombing, stated Bulgarian Minister of Interior Tsvetan Tsvetanov, just after implicating Hezbollah in the attack.

"We have always relied on good and mutually beneficial bilateral relations between Bulgaria and Lebanon and we hope that the Lebanese government will give us full assistance in the ongoing investigation of this terrorist act," said Tsvetanov.

Speaking at a press event after a 6-hour-long sitting of Bulgaria's Consultative Council for National Security Tuesday, Tsvetanov named Hezbollah's military wing as possibly implicated in the attack, which killed 5 Israeli tourists, their Bulgarian driver and the presumed suicide bomber.

This is the first time a Bulgarian official explicitly names an organization as being implicated in the attack, although Israel responed promptly by throwing the blame to Hezbollah.

According to Tsvetanov speaking Tuesday, the investigation has revealed that the attack was probably financed by Hezbollah, and that 2 of the 3 perpetrators are part of Hezbollah's military wing.

Moreover, the Bulgarian Interior Minister said that data uncovered by investigators showed that the two, carrying an Australian and a Canadian passport, had been residing in Lebanon since 2006.

Hezbollah is a registered political party in Lebanon with 12 members in the 128-seat parliament and 2 ministers in cabinet.

Bulgaria's choice of whether to name Hezbollah as standing behind the Burgas bus bombing was seen as pivotal as to whether the EU will officially label Hezbollah a terrorist organization.