Bulgaria dismisses Ambassador Ivan Yordanov from UAE post

Bulgarian President Iliana Yotova has issued a decree dismissing Ivan Ilianov Yordanov from his position as the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Bulgaria to the United Arab Emirates. The decree, dated October 13, 2026, was officially published in the State Gazette on October 20.

The dismissal follows a series of political developments involving allegations made by Interior Minister Ivan Demerzhiev. Demerzhiev claimed that a company responsible for paying flight expenses for Delyan Peevski, leader of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms, is owned by the father of the ambassador.

Prime Minister Rumen Radev had previously requested that Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova expedite the ambassador's recall. While an investigation into the matter was ordered, Yordanov and Peevski have both denied the allegations regarding the connection between the ambassador's family and the flight payments.