44th Sofia Int'l book fair opens in Bulgaria

SOFIA, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- The 44th Sofia International Book Fair opened in the National Palace of Culture (NPC) on Tuesday, gathering over 200 exhibitors from Bulgaria, China, Hungary, Italy, Iran, Romania, Russia, Spain and Turkey.

"We are very proud that this is the largest international book fair in Bulgaria," Vesselin Todorov, President of the Bulgarian Book Association, said at the opening ceremony.

During the event ending on Sunday, more than 60 new books will be presented and meetings with over 50 Bulgarian and foreign writers will be held, Todorov added.

Sofia's Deputy Mayor Todor Chobanov said in turn he was confident that thousands of fans would find their book at the fair.

China National Publications Import & Export (Group) Corporation (CNPIEC), the largest import and export enterprise of the Chinese publishing industry, participate for the first time in the event.

On Wednesday, CNPIEC will hold a presentation on the Chinese book market as well as on how to cooperate with Chinese businesses.