US embassy cable - 05SOFIA72

UNCLAS SOFIA 000072 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR S/ES-O AND EUR/SCE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, PINR, PREL, BU 
SUBJECT: NAMES, TITLES AND CONTACT INFORMATION FOR 
BULGARIA'S LEADING GOVERNMENT AND POLITICAL FIGURES 
 
REF: STATE 271552 
 
1.(U) COUNTRY: Republic of Bulgaria 
 
2.(U) DATE: January 11, 2005 
 
3.(SBU) HEAD OF GOVERNMENT 
Name (last, first/middle): Saxe-Coburg Gotha, Simeon 
Conventional usage: Simeon Saxe-Coburg 
Formal title: Prime Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria 
Office phone numbers: 359-2-940-21-28 (answered by personal 
assistant Mia Morero); alternate numbers are 359-2-940-32- 
00, 359-2-940-34-00. 
Residence phone numbers: 359-2-973-76-75, usually answered 
by PM's assistant Galya Dicheva who doesn't speak English; 
and 359-2-974-11-11, usually answered by the Prime 
Minister's wife Dona Margarita Gomez-Acebo who speaks 
English. 
Cell phone number: 359-887-900-900. 
Comments:  The Prime Minister speaks excellent English.  He 
can also be reached 24/7 through his Chief of Cabinet, Mr. 
Radi Naydenov (office telephone 359-2-940-30-07, cell phone 
number 359-888-88-20-02).  Mr. Naydenov speaks English. 
 
4.(SBU) HEAD OF STATE 
Name (last, first/middle): Purvanov, Georgi 
Conventional usage: Georgi Purvanov 
Formal title: President of the Republic of Bulgaria 
Office telephone numbers: 359-2-988-17-67, 359-2-923-92-02, 
answered by English-speaking assistants. 
Cell phone number: 359-888-90-00-01, which could be used 
after-hours. 
Comments:  President Purvanov understands but does not speak 
English; he usually relies on an interpreter.  The President 
can also be reached 24/7 through his Foreign Policy 
Secretary, Mr. Zlatin Trupkov (office number 359-2-92-39- 
 
SIPDIS 
243, cell phone 359-887-987 200), or Chief of Cabinet Andrei 
Karaslavov (office number 359-2-92-39-184 and cell phone 
number 359-887-750-801).  Both Mr. Trupkov and Mr. 
Karaslavov speak English. 
 
5.(SBU) FOREIGN MINISTER 
Name (last, first/middle): Passy, Solomon 
Conventional usage: Solomon Passy 
Formal title: Minister of Foreign Affairs 
Office phone numbers: 359-2-971-28-44, 359-2-973-33-76, 
answered by English-speaking assistants. 
Cell phone numbers: 359-887-451 344, 359-888-57-22-57. After- 
hours the Minister can be reached either on his usual office 
numbers or on his cell phone numbers. 
Comments:  Passy speaks excellent English. He can also be 
contacted 24/7 through his secretaries Kalina Kostadinova 
(cell phone 359-888-252-497) and Irena Todorova (cell phone 
359-887-563-967), who both speak English.  Passy's Chief of 
Cabinet, Petar Vodenski, cell phone 359-887-63-944, is also 
in constant contact with the Minister.  Vodenski speaks 
English. 
 
PARDEW