February 9 marks a sad anniversary, the eighth year since the imprisonment of the five Bulgarian nurses sentenced to death for intentional HIV infection in Libya, Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev said during a visit to London.

Stanishev said that Bulgaria was doing everything possible to ensure the fast return home of the nurses.

Bulgaria was thankful to media and institutions, as well as to the EU and US for the support and the clearly stated position in support of the nurses, said Stanishev.

The Cabinet's position was to wait for the conclusion of legal procedures and to call for the consideration of all evidence establishing the innocence of the nurses, Stanishev said.

Political support that Bulgaria received from international institutions and EU's main bodies showed that the issue involved not only Bulgaria and Libya, Stanishev said.

Bulgaria saw the scientific reports of western virologists as specific evidence proving the innocence of the nurses, he said. At the same time the country understood the tragedy of the infected children and their families, Stanishev said.