Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergei Stanishev began the formal part of his state visit to India Wednesday morning with a welcoming ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhawan Presidential Palace, BTA reports.

The Bulgarian head of government is visiting at the invitation of his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh. After laying a wreath at the site of Mahatma Gandhi's cremation site (Raj Ghat), Stanishev met with members of the Indian-Bulgarian Friendship Society.

Later in the day, the Prime Minister will confer with Indian President Pratibha Patil and will attend a Bulgarian-Indian Business Forum. The two prime ministers will start their official talks late in the afternoon. They will be present at the signing of a number of bilateral documents, including an Agreement on Economic Cooperation, a Treaty on Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters, and a Protocol Amending the Treaty on Encouragement and Reciprocal Protection of Invetsments.

On Wednesday, Stanishev is scheduled to confer with a number of Indian Government members and Indian politicians.