Mubarak invited to visit Bulgaria

Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak Tuesday received an invitation from his Bulgarian counterpart Petar Stoyanov to pay an official visit to Sofia.

Speaking to the press following his meeting with President Mubarak, visiting Bulgarian prime minister Ivan Kostav, who conveyed the invitation, said the visit is expected to take place early next year.

The visit will positively reflect on the Bulgarian society, he said.

Kostav termed his talks with the President as "successful" noting that he felt Egypt's full support for the role played by Bulgaria to achieve stability in Southeast Europe, he added.

Mubarak-Kostav meeting also took up aspects of bilateral cooperation in industrial fields and joint ventures, Kostav said, hoping his visit would help boost Egyptian-Bulgarian ties and enhance bilateral cooperation in the various fields.

The Bulgarian guest also expressed conviction that his visit to Egypt will help advance his country's relations with Arab states in the near future.

On the Mideast peace march, the Bulgarian official said he discussed this issue with the president and the relevant Bulgarian role. He spelled out his country's unwavering support for Egyptian efforts in quest of peace in the region.

Bulgaria strongly supports the peace drive and hopes that parties concerned would reach compromises that could render the peace process successful, kostav told Middle East News Agency(MENA).

He said that he has recently inaugurated a mosque and a church on the same day in his country to strengthen the religious co-existence. This trend was appreciated by the Egyptian officials, he said.

Kostav arrived here on Monday on a visit to Egypt leading a 30-man delegation for talks with top officials on promoting bilateral cooperation in diverse domains.