The mortal remains believed to belong to Tsar Samuel will be handed over to Bulgaria by Greece by the end of this week. On Saturday, October 3, they will be received with an official ceremony in Sofia, Bulgarian PM Radev said on Tuesday.
Radev stated that a historic agreement had been reached, the result of intensive negotiations between Sofia and Athens. The remains from Greece will be transported by military aircraft, after which they will be laid to rest in a dedicated sarcophagus at the Church of Saint Sophia.
The Bulgarian PM placed the handover of the mortal remains within the context of European values, noting that EU members assisted each other in mutual understanding and overcoming historical differences. Regarding the matter, OMO Ilinden’s Stoykov, a historian, says that it’s not about returning remains that once belonged to Sofia, but rather, as he says, an exchange in which Bulgaria receives material for propaganda.