(Communicated by the President's Spokesperson)

President Reven Rivlin today (Thrusday, 25 February 2016) held a working meeting with the Prime Minister of Burlgaria, Boyko Borissov who was visiting Israel together with a delegation of ministers and senior figures.

President Rivlin welcomed the Prime Minister and noted the historical ties between the two peoples. He said, "We know what a good friend we have in Bulgaria, and we appreciate very much our friendship. We remember fondly the King of Bulgaria at the time of the Holocaust who saved so many of our people. Today, we have a large Bulgarian community in Israel, many of whom still speak Bulgarian."

The President added, "We are facing now in our region, not far from your region, many serious challenges. These are problems which effect Israel and Europe. We must be aware of these challenges and face them together."

Prime Minister Borissov thanked the President for his warm welcome and said, "I greatly appreciate your assessment of the situation. The Holocaust, and more recently, the terror attack in Burgas, have indeed made our friendship with Israel unshakable. Last night we met with the Bulgarian community in Israel, in Jerusalem, and it was very sentimental as many were 2 or 3 years old at the time of the Holocaust. What is more important though is they feel as Bulgarian and Israelis without any contradiction between the two."