Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko Borissov has accepted the resignation of Deputy Foreign Minster Krassimir Kostov, a Government media statement said on November 27 2009.

According to the media statement, Kostov had requested to be relieved of this post for personal reasons, related to his membership of the communist-era State Security services.

Two days earlier, the commission on the opening of the archives of the former communist State Security police had reported that three members of the current Government had worked for the State Security.

Kostov was said to have worked under the alias of Norris and had left the services in 1991. Handwritten documents from Kostov, concerning salaries and expenses, had been found, the commission said.

Other members of Government with a State Security past were the minister without portfolio responsible for Bulgarians abroad Bozhidar Dimitrov and Deputy Interior Minister Pavlin Dimitrov.

Earlier in November, Borissov told reporters that he was eagerly awaiting the commission's report on the entire Foreign Ministry, which is due in 2010. Bulgarian media quoted Borissov as saying that he expected 90 per cent of the staff of the ministry to have worked for the State Security services.

According to Borissov, former Security Services staff were at the core of all scandals in Bulgaria and that 20 years after the fall of communism, it was high time that they were "swept out" of power. Bulgarian daily Dnevnik said it was not yet decided who would replace Kostov.