site.btaPresidents of Bulgaria, Croatia to Meet in Zagreb

Bulgaria’s President Rumen Radev is paying an official visit to Croatia on July 14 and 15 at the invitation of his Croatian counterpart, Zoran Milanovic. The two heads of State are meeting on the first day of the visit, said the presidential press secretariat.

The visit will focus on further deepening bilateral cooperation for the sake of stability and the region’s European prospects, the Bulgarian head of State’s Press Secretariat said on Sunday.

Milanovic will welcome Radev with an official ceremony in Zagreb on July 14. The two presidents will hold a tete-a-tete meeting and lead plenary talks between the two official delegations. Then, Radev and Milanovic are scheduled to make a statement to the media. 

Radev will also confer with Croatia’s Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandrokovic and Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic. The Bulgarian President will also pay tribute at the monument to the Homeland. Together with members of the Bulgarian community in Croatia, Radev will honour the legacy of Ivan Vazov, regarded as the patriarch of Bulgarian literature, at his monument in Bundek Park's Alley of Poets. 

On July 15, Radev will visit the Bulgarian Military Cemetery in Vukovar, where he will pay tribute to the memory of Bulgarian officers and soldiers who lost their lives in the final stage of the Second World War. He is also scheduled to visit the Memorial Cemetery of the Victims of the Homeland War. 

On May 25, 2023, Zoran Milanovic was on an official visit to Bulgaria on Radev's invitation. 

President Radev's latest visit to Croatia  

President Radev paid a state visit to Croatia on July 23-24, 2019, at the invitation of the then President, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović.

The two presidents held a one-on-one meeting during which they discuss bilateral relations, regional security, and the European perspective for the countries of the Western Balkans. A joint statement following the meeting declared that the two countries would work towards the strategic dimensions of the partnership in areas such as security and defense, law enforcement, trade and economic relations, tourism, education, science, and culture. The heads of state sign a Joint Message to the President of China, Xi Jinping, for the opening of a direct air route Beijing–Sofia–Zagreb.

Diplomatic relations

Bulgaria was among the first countries to recognize the independence of Croatia on January 15, 1992, according to information available on the Foreign Ministry website.

Diplomatic relations at the embassy level were established on August 13, 1992. There are no open or disputed issues of political, economic, financial, or other nature between the two countries. The membership of both countries in the EU and NATO strengthens their partnership and opens up additional opportunities for cooperation.

The Bulgarian side is working actively to preserve the national and cultural identity of the Bulgarian national minority in Croatia.

 Bulgaria, Croatia, and the eurozone

Croatia is the newest member state of the eurozone, having joined on January 1, 2023 to become its 20th member. On January 1, 2026, Bulgaria will become the 21st member, after the EU Council unanimously approved a decision on July 8 to admit the country into the eurozone.