Shortly before departing from Sofia, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew held an extensive discussion with Bulgarian Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mariya Gabriel in a special hall at the city’s International Airport.
The Ecumenical Patriarch received a warm farewell from the Ambassadors of Turkey and Greece, while the Prime Minister and other officials escorted him to the aircraft’s stairs.
Shortly after 19:00 local time, the Ecumenical Patriarch and his entourage returned to Constantinople.
Photographs: Nikos Papachristou
Translated by Thanos Chrysanthopoulos