Greece returned the remains of Tsar Samuel to Bulgaria in exchange for 48 ecclesiastical relics taken by Bulgarian troops at the end of World War I, in a ceremony in Thessaloniki attended by Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. The exchange, which the two leaders said concluded more than 50 years of negotiations between Sofia and Athens, took place at the Museum of Byzantine Culture.

Bulgaria will receive the remains of Tsar Samuel at a state ceremony in Sofia on October 3, with the Spartan military transport aircraft carrying them to be escorted by MiG-29 and F-16 fighter jets, the Government Information Service said. More than 1,000 years after his death, the medieval ruler is returning to Bulgaria, whose freedom and independence he devoted his life to, according to the government statement.

The remains of medieval ruler Czar Samuel have arrived in Bulgaria after decades of negotiations with Greece.

The remains of medieval ruler Czar Samuel arrived in Bulgaria on Saturday, after decades of negotiations with neighboring Greece.