SOFIA, March 21 (Xinhua) -- Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov will visit the State of Israel and the Palestinian Authority from March 24 to 27 at the invitation of Israeli President Shimon Peres and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, the President's press secretariat announced Friday.

    In Israel Parvanov is scheduled to confer with Israeli President Shimon Peres, Speaker of the Knesset Dalia Itzik, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Israeli opposition leader Binyamin Netanyahu.

    Bulgaria and Israel will sign agreements on economic cooperation and social security during the visit.

    An exhibition devoted to the Jewish community in Bulgaria will be opened in the Knesset during Parvanov's visit. The Bulgarian President will also attend a ceremony for the naming of a water fountain in Tel Aviv after Dimiter Peshev.

    On March 10, 1943, deputy chairman of the 25th National Assembly Dimiter Peshev, initiated a sign-in campaign initiated against the deportation of Bulgarian Jews. Even though it cost him his political career, Peshev's declaration as well as the signature collection he initiated against the deportation of the Jews from Bulgaria, proved instrumental in saving 48,000 Bulgarian Jews from deportation to the Nazi death camps in 1943.

    In the Palestinian Authority Parvanov is scheduled to confer with President Mahmoud Abbas while the two delegations will hold talks. A program for cooperation in education, science and culture will be signed in the presence of the two presidents.

    Parvanov will attend a ceremony for the opening of a Bulgarian representation in Ramallah and will meet members of the Society for Palestinian-Bulgarian Friendship.