Portuguese ambassador found dead at residence in Bulgaria

The body of Portugal’s ambassador to Bulgaria, Ana Maria Ribeiro da Silva, has been found at her residence in Sofia.

The 66-year-old diplomat failed to report to work, after which embassy staff found her at home. Initial indications suggest that she may have suffered a heart attack, while no signs of violence were found on her body.

Ribeiro da Silva had served as Portugal’s ambassador to Bulgaria since December 2020. She previously held the same post in Slovakia.

A law graduate of the University of Lisbon, she had also served in diplomatic posts in Paris, Helsinki, Moscow and Vienna. In Portugal, she worked as an adviser to the foreign minister and the speaker of parliament.

By Jeyhun Aghazada