site.btaPresident Radev Cuts Short Visit to Estonia Due to Worsening Coronavirus Situation

October 20 -  President Rumen Radev cut short a
visit to Estonia on Tuesday. His press secretariat said the
decision was due to "the complicated coronavirus situation".
Radev and his Estonian counterpart Kersti Kaljulaidat spoke over
 the phone Tuesday morning and decided to postpone the visit on
account of the impossibility to carry out all the elements
planned for the visit's agenda, said the Bulgarian President's
press secretariat.
 
Upon arriving in Bulgaria later in the day, Radev reacted to the
 information circulated by the media about him being in contact
with a COVID-19-positive person. He described it as "an active
measure". The Bulgarian head of State said that contrary to
speculations, neither he nor his delegation have been
quarantined in Estonia. "Since the start of the COVID-19 crisis,
 I have been in constant contact with thousands of people across
 the country, but I am strictly abiding by all health measures
and have not had any problems, nor do I have one right now," the
 President said.

He explained that he has undergone two tests in less than a week
 - last Tuesday when he visited Greece and on Monday, so that
his hosts in Estonia would not have to worry. "Both of my tests
came out negative," he said, while showing journalists his test
results for his visit to Estonia.

President Kaljulaidat wrote in a Facebook post Tuesday that the
bilateral part of the visit had to be called off as President
Radev had been in contact with a person who later tested
positive for coronavirus. She expressed regret over the fact
that the Bulgarian head of State's visit, which was scheduled
for Tuesday, had to be canceled as it became clear on Monday
afternoon that President Radev had been in contact with a
COVID-19-positive person before arriving in Estonia. After the
information arrived in Estonia, all necessary measures were
taken and the Bulgarian delegation was isolated in the hotel.
That is why the Bulgarian head of State did not attend
yesterday's Three Seas Initiative dinner either, the Estonian
President explained. "I spoke to President Radev by telephone
this morning and we agreed that, under these circumstances,
canceling the visit was the only right step," she said.

The Defence Ministry has confirmed to Dnevnik.bg that the new
head of the Air Force, Major Gen. Dimiter Petrov, has been
diagnosed with coronavirus. Radev and Defence Minister Krassimir
 Karakachanov were in contact with Petrov on October 16.

Later in the day on Tuesday, Radev's press secretariat said that
 the head of State has not been in contact with a person who at
the time in question had tested positive for coronavirus. The
press release also says that during the visit to Tallinn, the
Bulgarian delegation was not quarantined and that a coronavirus
test was performed on Radev already the first day of the visit,
which was negative.
 
Radev arrived on an official visit to Estonia Monday for
participation in a virtual summit of the Three Seas Initiative,
hosted by the Estonian President. At the start of the event, the
 Bulgarian President took over from Estonia as the hosting
leader of the Three Seas Initiative. Radev and Kaljulaidat met
within the summit and discussed topics on the agenda of
bilateral relations and the Initiative.

The official bilateral programme of the visit was scheduled to
take place on October 20 and 21, with a one-to-one session
between the two Presidents, followed by plenary talks between
their delegations. Meetings were also scheduled with Estonian
Prime Minister Juri Ratas and with Estonian Parliament President
 Henn Polluaas. LN,NV/ZH,MY