​(Communicated by the President’s Spokesperson)
 
President Reuven Rivlin today (Wednesday) held a working meeting at his residence with Prime Minister of Bulgaria, Boyko Borisov, who is visiting Israel.
 
President Rivlin welcomed the Prime Minister and spoke of his memories of his own visit to Bulgaria two years ago. The President noted the appreciation of the Jewish people and of Israel for the Bulgarian people’s efforts to rescue Bulgarian Jewry during the Holocaust. The President said, “We are very appreciative to the Bulgarian people, and this appreciation remains to this day. Our friendship is expressed in a great deal of cooperation on many issues, and I think that like then, even today, friendship can promote a lot of cooperation between two countries.”
 
The President expressed his appreciation for Bulgaria’s conduct in its current position in the European Union, and for the mutual relationship between Israel and Europe. “Even when there are differences of opinion, they are differences of opinion between friends who know that sometimes it is possible to agree to disagree," the President said.
 
Prime Minister Borisov thanked the President for his warm words about the rescue of Bulgarian Jews during the Holocaust, and noted that he was very proud of this and of the recognition given to these actions in recent years. “Israel is an important friend of Bulgaria, we can count on each other, and I would like to take this opportunity to convey the warm greetings of our President. Together, we can truly achieve more," he said.
 
During the meeting, the President's staff surprised the Prime Minister with a candle-lit cake for his birthday today.