During her visit to the Republic of South Africa, Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ekaterina Zaharieva, met with the Bulgarian diaspora in the country.

"The biggest loss for Bulgaria during the transition years to democracy was the loss of people," Zaharieva said at a meeting at the Center of the Bulgarian Community in the Midrand suburb of Johannesburg.

She announced that Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Lindiwe Sisulu had promised to help expedite the issuing of a permit for "construction of a Bulgarian Orthodox Church - the first Bulgarian temple in Africa".

Answering a question by compatriots about the visa regime between Bulgaria and the Republic of South Africa, Minister Zaharieva responded that work on the issue has been carried out at a European level.