US President George W Bush, who arrived on a two-day visit to Bulgaria Sunday evening, was officially welcomed on Monday morning in front of the Alexander Nevsky cathedral.

President Bush laid a wreath at the Monument to the Unknown Soldier, after which he headed for talks with President Georgi Parvanov and Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev.

A round-table discussion with students from the American University in Bulgaria has also been scheduled.

Two museums - the archaeological and the national history museums - will host the joint press conference of Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov and his US counterpart, as well as the official dinner.

The historical church in the suburb of Boyana will be closed for a private visit by First Lady Laura Bush.

The US president is expected to give reassurances on lifting visas for Bulgarians and support the efforts to free the medics sentenced to death in Libya.

Other issues include future military and economic cooperation, as well as Bulgaria's progress in the fight against corruption, with Bush set to declare his support for the establishment of a foundation that would help strengthen the rule of law in the Balkan country.

The future of Kosovo is also likely to feature in talks with Parvanov, with Bush throwing his support behind the independence of the province during his seven-hour visit to Albania on Sunday.

Bulgaria is the last stop on Bush' week-long European tour, which included the G8 summit in Germany, as well as stops in the Czech Republic, Poland, Italy and Albania.

We need your support so Novinite.com can keep delivering news and information about Bulgaria! Thank you!