National News Agencies of Bulgaria, Slovakia, Extend Cooperation Agreement, to Exchange News on Daily Basis

UPDATED National News Agencies of Bulgaria, Slovakia, Extend Cooperation Agreement, to Exchange News on Daily Basis

Director Generals Vladimir Puchala of TASR (left) and Kiril Valchev of BTA (Photo by TASR)

Bratislava,

27.11.2023 17:50 | UPDATED 27.11.2023 17:55

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The Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) and the Slovak national news agency TASR (Tlačová agentura Slovenskej republiky - TASR) have extended their cooperation agreement to provide for the daily exchange of news items. The agreement was signed Monday at the TASR headquarters in Bratislava by Director Generals Vladimir Puchala of TASR and Kiril Valchev of BTA.

As before, each side will receive the full English-language news service of the other and will be able to use it in its own services.

The extended agreement also provides for exchanges of experience and visits by journalists and other media professionals.

Valchev presented Puchala with a medal and postage stamp commemorating the 125th anniversary of the establishment of BTA.

Nearly 2,000 Bulgarians live in Slovakia according to official data, but there may be double that number according to unofficial information.

Traditionally, Bulgaria is one of the most visited destinations by Slovak tourists. In the pre-pandemic year 2019, 77,098 Slovak tourists visited Bulgaria and 38,231 Bulgarian tourists travelled to Slovakia. In 2021, 26,058 Slovak tourists visited Bulgaria. In the first half of 2023, the Slovak tourists visiting Bulgaria numbered 19,235, 82.9% more than a year earlier.

The Economy Ministry reports Bulgarian-Slovak trade in 2022 at EUR 949.7 million. In the first half of 2023, two-way trade stood at EUR 554.3 million, up by 11.9% from a year earlier.

Slovak investments in Bulgaria totalled EUR 50.5 million as at end-June 2023, the Bulgarian National Bank said.

Following the agreement extension signed Monday in Bratislava, Bulgarian media can use, via BTA, information from 39 national agencies on three continents, with which BTA has cooperation agreements: Azerbaijan, Albania, Algeria, Armenia, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Vietnam, Ghana, Greece, Israel, India, Iran, Spain, Italy, Yemen, Cambodia, Cyprus, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Latvia, Lebanon, Liberia, Moldova, Mongolia, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Poland, the Philippines, the Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Ukraine, Turkiye, the United Arab Emirates.

/NF/