site.btaItalian President Sergio Mattarella to Visit Bulgaria

Italian President Sergio Mattarella will pay an official visit to Bulgaria on April 17 and 18 at the invitation of his Bulgarian counterpart Rumen Radev, the president’s press secretariat said.

Development of bilateral relations in economy and defence, improvement of regional transport connectivity, science, culture and education, as well as cooperation within the EU and NATO will be in the focus of talks between the two heads of state.

At 3.45 pm on Wednesday Radev and his wife Dessislava Radeva will welcome Sergio Mattarella and his daughter Laura Mattarella with an official ceremony in the St Alexander Nevsky square. The Italian President will pay homage at the Monument to the Unknown Soldier.

The two state leaders will have a one-on-one meeting, after which the plenary talks between the official delegations will take place. Afterwards Radev and Mattarella will make joint statements to the media.

On Thursday, the presidents of Bulgaria and Italy will visit the Novo Selo training area, where they will be greeted by a guard of honour from the Multinational Battle Group. Rumen Radev and Sergio Mattarella will get acquainted with the mission and activities of the formation, of which Italy assumed the role of a framework country in October 2022. During the visit, a display of weapons and equipment will be arranged and the two presidents will hold meetings with the Bulgarian and Italian contingents.