Bulgaria [enorth.com]

The Bulgarian government on Wednesday approved a draft intergovernmental agreement with China on the reciprocal establishment of cultural centers, officials said.

"The establishment of cultural centers in Sofia and Beijing is determined by the significant increase in cultural exchanges between the two countries, and the development of active, dynamic and fruitful activity in various fields of culture and the arts," Bulgarian Government Information Service said in a statement.

So far, Bulgaria has no cultural center in any of the countries of the Asia-Pacific region, therefore the future Bulgarian cultural center in China would become an important venue for conducting a more active and coordinated cultural policy in Asia, the statement said.

Meanwhile, the center in Beijing could contribute significantly to the promotion of Bulgaria as a tourist and investment destination and to the overall strengthening of the positive image of the country among the Chinese public, the statement said.

Bulgaria was the second country in the world to recognize China in 1949, and last January the two sides established an all-round friendly partnership in order to cement the traditional friendship and promote comprehensive bilateral cooperation.