Rumen Radev: Greece to hand over Tsar Samuil's remains on October 3

Prime Minister Rumen Radev announced that on October 3 a handover ceremony will be held at the Museum of Byzantine Culture in Thessaloniki, where the mortal remains attributed to Tsar Samuil will be formally transferred to Bulgaria.

Radev said the Bulgarian Council of Ministers would today approve the draft agreement and authorize the culture minister to sign the pact with his Greek counterpart. He described the deal as the result of lengthy negotiations and part of a reciprocal arrangement for the transfer and safekeeping of historical, religious and cultural artefacts and relics.

Background and next steps

According to Radev, Bulgaria’s aspiration to repatriate the remains goes back to 1965, when the Greek archaeologist Professor Nikolaos Moutsopoulos discovered them in the basilica built by Tsar Samuil on Agios Achillios island in the Small Prespa Lake. "After intense negotiations, Bulgaria and Greece have reached a historic agreement for the return of the mortal remains of the Bulgarian tsar Samuil to his homeland," he said.

The ceremony in Thessaloniki will also include the handover of two other sarcophagi found in the same church, which are believed to belong to Tsar Gavril Radomir and other members of the royal family. Radev said the remains will be flown to Sofia and reburied in a special sarcophagus at the Church of St. Sofia.

Radev thanked Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis for what he described as "statesmanlike vision, political courage and will" that made the agreement possible. "We had the historic honor to achieve this," he added.

The prime minister invited citizens to view the remains and pay their respects on October 3 at 12:30 p.m. at Knez Alexander I Square in front of the former Royal Palace; they will then be escorted to the Church of St. Sofia.

Photo: press material from the event