Sofia — Bulgaria said Wednesday that an aircraft taking its prime minister and former king to Saudi Arabia was denied permission by Iran to enter its airspace, forcing them to fly via Iraq.

“The refusal is inexplicable,” Bulgarian Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva was quoted by Bulgarian media.

She said Iran’s ambassador in Sofia has been summoned for an explanation. Iran had initially given the flight permission before it took off, she said.

The plane was carrying former king Simeon Saxe Coburg, Prime Minister Boyko Borisov, Zaharieva and four other ministers. It was the first visit by a Bulgarian prime minister to Saudi Arabia since the former communist country, now a member of the European Union, and the Kingdom established relations 20 years ago.

Boyko Borisov arrived in Riyadh on Tuesday.

Bulgaria and Saudi Arabia signed an MoU to avoid double taxation.

The Cabinet approved a memorandum of cooperation between King Abdulaziz Foundation for Research and Archives and the Bulgarian National Library. — Agencies