On the commemoration of the 1,000 years since of the death of Tsar Samuel of Bulgaria, Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev visited Thessaloniki and laid a wreath at his relics, kept at the Museum of Byzantine Culture, on October 6. The relics were discovered in 1969 during excavations at Saint Achilles basilica in the Prespa Lakes region, Macedonia, Greece. "We have a lot to learn from the way Greece protects its historical memory," the Bulgarian President noted.

During a luncheon with Culture Minister Kostas Tasoulas and Thessaloniki mayor Yiannis Boutaris, at the city’s Byzantine Museum, the Bulgarian President praised the work of Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, saying he ignored the political cost to save the country. "The Greek prime minister has shown an exemplary behavior, he ignored the political cost and implemented the right reforms sparing the country from a nasty adventure," Plevneliev said.