The newly appointed Ambassador of Hungary tо Sofia met with Tsvetan Simeonov and announced the establishment of a Joint Intergovernmental Commission

The President of BCCI Tsvetan Simeonov met with the newly appointed Ambassador of Hungary to Sofia H.E. Ms. Tekla Harangozo. Budai Thomas, Commercial Attache of the Embassy also participated in the talks.

The President of BCCI familiarized the guests with the 121-year history of the BCCI at the service of business and the various activities of the Chamber and its participation in all international organizations, open to non-governmental organizations with voluntary membership.

BCCI works perfectly with the commercial department of the Embassy in receiving and disseminating of economic information and inquiries of Hungarian entrepreneurs in  search for reliable Bulgarian partners. The cooperation with the joint Bulgarian - Hungarian Chamber of Commerce is also very good.

H.E. Ms. Harangozo provided information on the decision of the parliaments of both countries for the establishment of a Joint Intergovernmental Commission. The first committee meeting is envisaged to be held on November 17 - 18 this year. Along with the meeting, a bilateral business forum is expected to be held and BCCI will provide further information.

The Ambassador of Hungary announced the upcoming launch of direct flights between Budapest and Sofia operated by Wizz Air, Hungary on November 1, 2016.

..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................During the talks on the topic of historical ties between Hungary and Bulgaria, dating back to the Middle Ages, H.E. Ms. Harangozo reminded of the legend of the relics of St. John of Rila. In 1183, during another Hungarian-Byzantine war, the Hungarian King Bela III conquered Sredets and carried away the relics of St. John of Rila in his capital of Gran (Esztergom). According to the legend,  the local Roman Catholic archbishop said that he was not aware of such a saint and St. John of Rila punished him with dumbness. After the archbishop bowed down  before the reliquary and asked for  forgiveness, his speech recovered. Impressed and disturbed by this miracle, in 1187 Hungarians returned the relics of the saint in Bulgaria.