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Greece joins Bulgaria in offering Russians extended visas because of wildfire crisis

Wed, Aug 11 2010 12:02 CET

byThe Sofia Echo staff

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Greece joins Bulgaria in offering Russians extended visas because of wildfire crisis

Photo: Reuters

After Bulgaria announced a visa extension to Russian citizens on August 9 2010, the Greek government has followed suit in light of raging wildfires in Russia, Greek daily Kathimerini reported on August 11 2010.

In a gesture of support the Greek government announced it would allow Russians currently holidaying in Greece to stay until September, irrespective of when their travel visas expire.

According to the report, the Greek embassy in Moscow would continue to operate as usual. Meanwhile, the Greek government announced it would send a special disaster relief unit to help Russian firefighters stem deadly wildfires on the outskirts of Moscow that have claimed 54 lives.

Two days ago, the Bulgarian government agreed to extend the entry visas by an additional month, following a proposal tabled by Bulgaria’s Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov and Foreign Minister Nikolay Mladenov.

Russian tourists will now be able to extend their stay in Bulgaria by 30 days if they are so inclined.

Many Muscovites are choosing to leave and travel to attractive tourist destinations like Bulgaria, Turkey, Croatia, Montenegro and Greece.

On August 9, Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin thanked his Bulgarian counterpart Boiko Borisov for Bulgarian assistance in quelling raging infernos in Russia, Bulgarian media reported.

About 95 Bulgarian fire-fighters were commissioned to help their Russian colleagues deal with the crisis.

According to the report, Putin rated the performance of the Bulgarian detachment very highly. During a phone call to Borissov, Putin apparently praised their professionalism and dedication.

They were seriously engaged over the weekend near the towns of Likino-Dulevo and Noginsk.

On August 8, the Bulgarian team managed to extinguish a fire that came within two km of the town and threatened to destroy the nearby village of Yazvishte.

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Comments

Anonymous Fedor Nosov, Moscow, Russia Sun, Aug 15 2010 23:02 CET
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This is smth that will always be remembered. Thank you and God bless the people of Bulgaria.


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