New Delhi: At the invitation of the President of Bulgaria, His Excellency Mr. Rumen Radev, President Kovind visited Bulgaria. India and Bulgaria have close historical and cultural ties dating back to 8th century A.D. There are similarities between the old Indian script Brahmi and the ancient Bulgarian script Glagolitsa. 19th century Bulgarian Revolutionary Georgi Stoikov Rakovski was a great Indologist. Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore visited Bulgaria in 1926. In modern times, the popularity of Yoga, Ayurveda and Indian films in Bulgaria, as well as the experience of students of Indology at Sofia University has strengthened our bonds. India-Bulgaria annual trade stands at USD 315 million and a number of Indian companies are present in Bulgaria and vice-versa. The last visit from India at the level of Head of State was in 2003. Bulgarian Prime Minister visited India in 2007. Bulgaria held the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union from January to June 2018.
During the visit, President Kovind meets President Radev, who hosted a Banquet in the honour of President of India. H.E. Mr. Boyko Borissov, Prime Minister of Bulgaria will call on H.E. Mr. Ram Nath Kovind, President of India.