Putin: Bulgarian Leader's Visit to Russia to Advance Bilateral Relations

'The official visit of the Prime Minister of Bulgaria to Russia will become a gateway to developing a bilateral relationship', said President Putin in the Kremlin on Monday.

According to the press service of Russia's head of state, President Putin said during his meeting with Bulgarian Prime Minister Simeon Sakskoburggotski, 'after your cabinet's rise to power, we've noticed positive tendencies towards developing bilateral links'. The Russian President also said, 'there are many issues on which we can cooperate and Russia is ready to develop relations in every area on the basis of the pragmatic understanding of mutual interests'.

In turn, Simeon Sakskoburggotski remarked that in inter-governmental relations always involve both favourable and unfavourable moments. 'The time has come for us to go on to a more favourable period in our relationship', he said.

The current Prime Minister of Bulgaria is the former monarch of his country. In 1946 he was dethroned. In 2001 his party won parliamentary elections