Journalist and historian Goran Blagoev questioned what cultural values Bulgaria provided to Greece in connection with the return of Tsar Samuil's mortal remains. In a post on social networks, he claims that among the objects are unique exhibits from the exhibition of the National History Museum.
According to Blagoev, these are values that Bulgarian scientists saved from Northern Greece at the time. According to him, they were restored and studied by Bulgarian specialists, and were subsequently presented in exhibitions in several world museums. The journalist also draws attention to the inscriptions on the objects, where the Bulgarian names of donors are written in Greek letters.
„Do you know what we exchanged the bones of Tsar Samuil for?“Blagoev does not provide a complete list of the exhibits provided in his publication, but disputes the public explanation that Bulgaria provided objects from the NHM's storage facilities, of which the museum has more pieces and which are not among the most valuable.
Blagoev disputes the official presentation
The journalist states that he himself has studied and photographed the valuables in question many times. Therefore, he questions the assessment of their value and claims that the public has not received full information about the content of the agreements.
His criticisms are directed at the government and the director of the National History Museum, Boni Petrunova. According to Blagoev, the problem is not only in the objects themselves, but also in the way the state presented the agreement to the public.
He also claims that the scientific community has not understood what exactly was provided to Greece. Blagoev admits that the return of the remains was possible only in exchange for values that the Greek side considers significant, but raises the question of why the information about them was presented in this way.
The remains have already been handed over to Bulgaria
On October 3, 2026, Greece handed over to Bulgaria the mortal remains identified as belonging to Tsar Samuil. The ceremony took place at the Museum of Byzantine Culture in Thessaloniki in the presence of Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
Against this background, the question of what exactly exhibits were provided to Greece remains at the center of the public dispute raised by Goran Blagoev. His publication does not provide a detailed inventory of the objects, nor does it present the position of the National History Museum on the accusations made.
Sources: Focus, Bulgarian National Radio