World Bulletin / News Desk 

Bulgarian Defense Minister Nikolay Nenchev announced on Wednesday, a law to open the archives of Bulgaria's former Communist secret service to researchers and journalists.

The data, however, will not include names of foreign agents affiliated to Defense Information Service to avoid risks for living agents.

The minister said he had released around 30,000 archived objects to the Civil Commission, which is in charge of examining documents from this period.

The new law, adopted more than 17 years after the collapse of the Communist regime, requires the publication of all files identifying public figures - politicians, senior public officials, magistrates, clergymen and journalists - as former Communist secret agents.

Defense Minister Nikolay Nenchev said, shortly after signing the respective document, adding Bulgarians should be made more familiar with events under socialism.

"The Bulgarian society should know everything about this period and should never allow it [to begin] again," the minister said.