Bulgaria will recognise Kosovo in the next few days, perhaps hours, sources from the ruling Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) told mediapool.bg on March 18. Croatian daily Jutarnji List on the same day claimed that Bulgaria would recognise the self-proclaimed state on March 19.

BSP spokesperson Angel Naidenov, contacted by mediapool.bg, would neither confirm nor deny the information. He only re-iterated the position of the Socialist executive bureau, which asked that Kosovo authorities showed a careful approach and well-measured actions since the latest clashes in Kosovska Mitrovica.

Bulgarian Prime Minister and BSP leader Sergei Stanishev would not commit with a deadline to recognise Kosovo, which proclaimed its secession from Belgrade on February 17. He added that technically the recognition could not happen on March 19 anyway, because the Cabinet was not scheduled to meet that day. The next Cabinet meeting is scheduled for March 20.