Bulgaria's Foreign Affairs Minister, Nikolay Mladenov, is representing the country at the meeting of the group of States "Friends of Syria" in Istanbul.

The forum in Turkey will discuss the Syrian crisis and whether the government of Bashar al-Assad adheres to the peace plan proposed by Kofi Annan, the Bulgarian Dnevnik daily reports Sunday.

This is the second conference of the "Friends of Syria" after the one in Tunisia at the end of February, when the Syrian opposition National Union was recognized as the legitimate representative of Syrian people.

The meeting will be attended by representatives of the Syrian opposition.

The Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs calls for ending the violence in Syria and appeals to all Bulgarian citizens to leave the country immediately.

On March 16, the Bulgarian Parliament voted unanimously with 135 votes "for" for increasing the pressure on the regime in Syria and the establishment of effective sanctions, including suspension of all weapons deliveries.

Syria adopted earlier the implementation of the peace plan of the Special Envoy of the UN and the Arab League, Kofi Annan. It has six sections, including cease of violence, withdrawal of troops from opposition areas and engaging in constructive dialogue. The plan also received the support of Russia, Iran and the Arab League.

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