Dear Partners, Clients and Friends,

We would like to inform you that our Head Offices in Varna, Bulgaria will be closed  on Monday, September 21^st, 2009 and Tuesday, September 22^nd, 2009 due to the National Bulgarian Holidays. Should you have any urgent queries, please contact our Office Manager, Ms. Nedyalka Aleksandrova (tel.:+359 894 417 675) or our Cyprus Office (tel.: +357 22 37 15 12), which will be open in the above quoted period.

September 22, 1908 - The Independence Day

Prince Ferdinand and Prime Minister Alexander Malinov

On September 22, Bulgaria celebrates one significant event of its modern history. On this date in 1908, our country, one of the oldest in Europe, announced its independence. This act became possible only 30 years after the Russian-Turkish War of 1877-1878. The end of war took place on March 3, 1878 with the conclusion of the San Stefano treaty.

The Treaty of Berlin set the Principality of Bulgaria as a vassal of the Ottoman Empire. South Bulgaria under the name Eastern Rumelia received administrative autonomy but remained under the political and military power of the Sultan. It hindered the economic development of the country and restricted its opportunities in international relations.

Peace agreements obliged the Bulgarian principality to comply with the capitulation regime imposed by the Great Powers of the Ottoman Empire, which imposed preferential imports of European industrial goods and consigned the development of Bulgarian domestic production.

Therefore, after the unification of Eastern Rumelia with the Principality of Bulgaria, the efforts of the Bulgarian political elite were focused on announcing the country’s independence.

On September 22, 1908 in the church of “St. 40 Martyrs” in the medieval Bulgarian capital Veliko Tarnovo, with a special manifesto the Independence of Bulgaria was declared while Prince Ferdinand accepted the title of Tsar of Bulgaria. A public prayer for the prosperity of Bulgaria was served. An act symbolizing the continuation of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom.

Then Prime Minister Alexander Malinov read again the Manifesto at the historic hill of Tsarevets before thousands of people.

The next day, Austria-Hungary annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Threats of war by the Ottoman Empire, Bulgaria met with military mobilization and also stated its readiness for a peaceful settlement.

Since the Treaty of Berlin was doubly disturbed (from Sofia and Vienna) and the Great Powers were not prepared for a war, efforts were directed towards diplomatic recognition of Bulgaria’s independence.

With the help of Russia many agreements settling the serious financial problems of that times were signed - the Russian-Turkish Protocol (1909), the Bulgarian-Turkish Protocol (1909) and the Russian-Bulgarian Protocol (1909).

According to them, Russia remitted to Turkey its military obligations pending from the war in 1877-1878, Turkey renounced any financial claims to  Bulgaria, Bulgaria was obliged to pay to Russia 82 million francs within 75 years.

Turkey and then the Great Powers recognized the independence of Bulgaria in April 1909. With the proclamation of Bulgaria’s independence, international prestige of the country was rising and soon it became equal to the other European countries.

Bulgaria became a kingdom and a full participant in the international relations. There were pre-conditions for the release of the last Bulgarian lands in Thrace and Macedonia which remained under Ottoman authority.