site.btaBulgarian Tourism Minister Confers with Israeli Ambassador

Emerging from a working meeting with Israeli Ambassador Yosef Levi Sfar Thursday, Tourism Minister Zaritsa Dinkova said that Bulgaria is ready to receive Israeli tourists this winter season. “All necessary precautions have been taken to ensure the safety of the Israeli guests,” she said.

Dinkova, who previously served as Deputy Foreign Minister and National Coordinator for Combating Anti-Semitism, expressed her personal sympathy for the human tragedy in Israel and voiced her concern that antisemitic hate speech, rallies and attacks have been increasing since the Hamas terrorist attacks.

She stressed that Bulgaria condemns Hamas’s brutal terrorist attack on Israel which resulted in the loss of innocent lives. “You have my full support and that of the Tourism Ministry. We are ready to assist the Israeli state in whatever way possible. We attach great importance to bilateral relations with Israel, which are rooted in history,” Dinkova said.

Sfar expressed appreciation for Bulgaria's support for Israel. “Your personal commitment means a lot to us, especially at a time when our people are being subjected to unheard-of cruelty,“ he said. “The solidarity the Bulgarian people as a whole demonstrate is extremely important to us and I believe that in the future we will be able to develop relations between the two countries to a new, even closer level,” the diplomat added.

He noted that tourism is the best way to return to normalcy. “Bulgaria is becoming an increasingly preferred destination and I am confident that once this ordeal we are going through is over, my fellow countrymen will return to your wonderful country. Tourism is the best way to connect the two nations,” Sfar added.