Standart News

All Bulgarian citizens are strongly advised to leave Syria as soon as possible, the spokesperson of Bulgaria's foreign affairs ministry has said. The Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued the same warning on March 17 and April 7, but on Thursday Vesela Cherneva repeated the calls. "We strongly advise all Bulgarian citizens to leave Syria as quickly as possible, while this is still possible. Following Thursday's blasts and the escalation of violence, Bulgarian citizens, who decide to stay there, will bear the whole responsibility for their life and safety," Cherneva pointed out. The statement came in reaction to the twin suicide car-bomb attacks, which killed at least 55 people and wounded 372 in Damascus. The Bulgarian embassy in the Syrian capital is operating, but the staff has been reduced to a minimum. Bulgaria's Foreign Ministry has developed an emergency evacuation plan, which however would be much more complicated than a similar plan it developed for Libya. Many of the Bulgarians living in Syria have families there, with family members not always having a Bulgarian citizenship. Also, Bulgarians live across the country, not only in Damascus and other large cities.