Bulgaria has made significant progress in meeting the criteria for inclusion in the U.S. Visa Waiver Program, caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivan Kondov said in a written response to MP Martin Dimitrov. Given the requirement to reduce the B-visa refusals rate below 3%, Bulgaria has the opportunity to successfully conclude negotiations after meeting this target for the 2025 financial year, Ivan Kondov added. In 2024, the visa refusal rate for Bulgaria was 6.02%, showing a significant decrease compared to 2023 when it was -11.61%.
On December 15, 2024, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs launched an information campaign under the slogan "You don’t need an Oscar to get a U.S. visa." The face of the campaign is the 2021 Oscar-nominee Maria Bakalova. The campaign aims to inform the Bulgarian public about the different types of U.S. travel visas and reduce B-visa refusals, Minister Kondov concluded.
Plovdiv will offer concerts, bazaars and an ice park for the Christmas and New Year holidays to its citizens and guests, the municipality has announced. Mayor Kostadin Dimitrov will light the Christmas tree in front of the Plovdiv Municipality..
On Thursday, minimum temperatures will range from 3° to 19°C, with eastern areas reaching 15–19°C and Sofia around 6°C. The day will be cloudy with widespread rain. Heavy rainfall is expected in western regions overnight and in central and southern..
“Solutions for achieving peace in Ukraine must be based on fundamental principles of the UN Charter, such as sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.” This was stated by Bulgarian Foreign Minister Georg Georgiev at the informal video..
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