MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The Bulgarian capital of Sofia on Saturday hosted a military parade dedicated to the celebration of St. George's Day, which is the country's Armed Forces Day, local media reported.
According to the Nova TV broadcaster, the event started after a national anthem was played and Bulgarian President Rumen Radev, who is also the country's commander-in-chief, delivered a speech.
The event was attended by Prime Minister Boiko Borissov, Defense Minister Krassimir Karakachanov and Neophyte, the Patriarch of the Bulgarian Orthodox Chirch, among other politicians and public figures.
St. George's Day was declared Bulgaria's Armed Forces Day in 1880. The holiday was banned by the Bulgarian communists in 1946 and was reinstated in 1993 after the collapse of the socialist governments across Eastern Europe.