The Defence Ministry still cannot say how much it cost to bring home and receive the remains of Tsar Samuil, because there is no final account. It gave the answer to a request from Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) under the Access to Public Information Act.

Soldiers took part in the state ceremony, and air force equipment carried the remains. The ministry gives no total figure.

Defence minister Dimitar Stoyanov signed the reply himself. The ministry says it finds it baffling that the national radio would judge an event of historic and national importance by its price. "Such an approach ignores and belittles the success achieved for Bulgaria," the letter says.

The ministry says the event became possible after decades of effort and cooperation with Greece. The success, the reply says, is that Bulgaria is welcoming home the remains of one of its most important rulers.

The Finance Ministry gave an extra €187,000 for the transfer and the ceremony and split it among several ministries. The sum became known after an earlier BNR request to the ministry.

The Interior Ministry got the biggest share. Its data show that extra pay for Sofia police (SDVR) officers who took part in the ceremony came to €68,965 in total. The cost of 200 gendarmerie officers and their equipment was €28,977.

The Culture Ministry spent €10,000, the same as the extra sum it received from the Finance Ministry.