TASR and Bulgarian National News Agency Extend Cooperation Agreement

Bratislava, November 28 (TASR) - The News Agency of the Slovak Republic (TASR) and the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) have agreed to extend their cooperation agreement on exchanging news reports, with TASR general director Vladimir Puchala and BTA head Kiril Valchev signing the extension at TASR's headquarters in Bratislava on Monday. The two agencies will continue to share their services in the English language, allowing them to use each other's products in their respective news coverage. "Bulgaria is an important tourist destination for [Slovaks]. We are monitoring developments in the Balkans, Bulgaria's aim to become part of the Schengen area and the eurozone, as well as the activities of the Bulgarian minority in Slovakia," said Puchala following the signing of the agreement on Monday. BTA noted on this occasion that according to official data there are nearly 2,000 Bulgarians living in Slovakia, but there may be twice as many according to unofficial information. At the same time, the Bulgarian agency pointed out that Bulgaria is one of the most frequently visited destinations for Slovak tourists. A total of 19,235 Slovaks visited Bulgaria in the first half of 2023, an increase of almost 83 percent year-on-year. Meanwhile, according to the Bulgarian National Bank, Slovak investments in Bulgaria had totalled €50.5 million at the end of June 2023. TASR has bilateral contracts with more than 20 foreign agencies, including Associated Press (AP), Agence France-Presse (AFP), Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA), Austria Presse Agentur (APA), the Croatian HINA news agency, the Polish PAP agency and the Ukrainian Ukrinform. zel/df