Sofia hands over B40 Presidency to Zagreb

Bulgaria’s Presidency of the B40 Balkan Cities Network has come to an end. In the Croatian capital, Sofia handed over the presidency to Zagreb, BGNES reported.

Sofia Mayor Vasil Terziev reviewed the achievements of 2025 and emphasized that the future lies in the hands of local authorities, who are closer to the people’s problems than national governments, and that cities are the engines of sustainable development.

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In his speech, he highlighted that Balkan cities share not only common opportunities but also similar threats—from the erosion of trust in institutions to attempts to subordinate municipalities. Vasil Terziev drew a parallel between the situations in Bulgaria and Türkiye, comparing the case of Varna Mayor Blagomir Kotsev with the repression and judicial attacks against Istanbul’s mayor and B40 founder Ekrem İmamoğlu.

Edited by Ivo Ivanov

Translated by Kostadin Atanasov