The government airplane transporting a government delegation from Sofia to Riyadh was not allowed into Iranian airspace and flew over the territory of Iraq, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ekaterina Zaharieva said.

The re-touting of the aircraft has had absolutely no affect on the visit, added Minister Zaharieva, who is a member of the delegation, accompanying Prime Minister Boyko Borissov on his visit to Saudi Arabia. She made this statement after publications appeared in the media alleging infringement of the airspace over Iran. The government airplane had all diplomatic flight permits needed to overfly Iranian airspace, Minister Zaharieva stressed. The chargé d'affaires of the Iranian embassy in Bulgaria has been summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Sofia in connection with the last-minute overflight access refusal.