E/CN.4/1988/4 5 page 9 Muslims emigrated to Turkey. In the years to follow - up to 1952 - and pursuant to concluded agreements, nearly 1.5 million Bulgarian nationals emigrated to Turkey, which gave rise to a divided families issue. To settle it, the Governments of Bulgaria and Turkey signed a 10-year agreement in 1968. By 1978 - the expiration term of that agreement - about 130,000 Bulgarian nationals had left for Turkey. In 1982, the President of the Republic of Turkey, Kenan Evren, paid an official visit to Bulgaria at the invitation of the Bulgarian Head of State, Todor Zhivkov. In the joint communique on the visit of the Turkish President to Sofia, it was said that: 'Both leaders concluded that the previous agreements on mass emigration had terminated their effect and agreed to consider on humanitarian grounds, and to favourably solve, individual requests for reunification of families in Bulgaria and Turkey'. The activities of the Islamic denomination in Bulgaria are regulated by a Statute of their own. According to it, the supreme institution of that religious denomination is the Chief Mufti's Office, seated in Sofia. The Supreme Religious Council at the Chief Mufti's Office comprises the Chief Mufti and the District Muftis, as well as a Control and Discipline Board. In the regions falling under the jurisdiction of the District Muftis, local Bulgarian Muslim Administrative Boards operate. Assisted by the Chief and District Muftis' Offices, they look after the mosques and administer the property belonging to them. Over 500 imams serve the religious needs of Muslims in Bulgaria. The Chief Mufti's Office, the District Muftis and the local Muslim Administrative Boards have legal status; they possess land and enjoy all the rights granted to juridical persons by the laws of the country. Annually, the Bulgarian Government allocates considerable funds to the Muslim institutions thus adding to the income from their estates or from voluntary contributions. These funds provide for the upkeep of mosques and the training of clerics. Muslim priests enjoy all the benefits inherent in the unified national system for social security, including the retirement system. The Chief Mufti's Office takes care of the religious education of believers and the training of Muslim priests. These activities are performed by qualified people, theologians appointed at the mosques. Whenever necessary, courses are organized for Islamic education. Bulgarian Muslim priests are also trained at higher Islamic institutions abroad. Each year the Chief Mufti's Office issues an Islamic calendar and printed material for the needs of the faithful. This testifies to the existence of real guarantees for the protection of the religious freedom of all Bulgarian citizens, including the Muslims, which is also confirmed by Islamic officials from different countries. Allegations about infringements of religious freedom and of the destruction of mosques are groundless. In this context, we would like to draw your attention to the Declaration of the Bulgarian Muftis published on 26 March 1985. The religious leaders of Bulgarian Muslims stated: