At the end of September, the Bulgarian Diplomatic Institute officially began the 20th Course in Diplomacy for Trainee Attachés at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs “Dimitar Stanchov”.
The opening ceremony was attended by Ms. Tanya Mihaylova, Director of the Bulgarian Diplomatic Institute, and Ambassador Radi Naydenov, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. They welcomed the participants and wished them a confident start to their diplomatic careers, as well as a commitment to continuously developing their professional skills and competencies.
In her remarks, Ms. Mihaylova outlined the specific nature of diplomatic work and emphasised the diplomat’s personality as their most valuable professional tool. Ambassador Naydenov, for his part, advised the future diplomats to approach their careers with patience, perseverance and dedication, expressing his confidence in their potential.
On the first day of the course, the trainee attachés were introduced to the main priorities of Bulgaria’s foreign policy by Mr. Rayko Nikolov, Chief of Staff of the Minister of Foreign Affairs. They also visited the Library of the Bulgarian Diplomatic Institute and, at the end of the day, attended the opening of the Bulgarian Diplomatic Institute’s exhibition “The Black Sea in European Cartography” at the Rectorate of Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”.
At the end of the first week of training, the trainee attachés traditionally selected the patron of their cohort. Their choice fell on Dimitar Stanchov, a Bulgarian diplomat and public figure whose family name became associated with a dynasty of prominent diplomats. Dimitar Stanchov was born in Svishtov in 1863. He began his career as Secretary to Prince Ferdinand, subsequently serving as a Bulgarian diplomat in Romania, Austria-Hungary and Russia, and later as Ambassador of Bulgaria to the United Kingdom, France, Belgium and Italy. He served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1906 to 1908.
Following a discussion, the trainee attachés emphasised that their choice of Dimitar Stanchov as patron of this year’s cohort was based on their appreciation of a number of his personal qualities. Among these, they highlighted his high level of professionalism, European idealism, pacifism, erudition and skilful diplomatic approach — qualities with which the members of the cohort themselves aspire to identify.
The course, one of the Bulgarian Diplomatic Institute’s core training activities, aims to professionally prepare newly appointed staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for key aspects of work in the diplomatic service, in the context of implementing the foreign policy of the Republic of Bulgaria.
Over the course of three months, the participants will take part in a series of interactive modules and practical exercises designed to provide an in-depth understanding of the specificities of working within the structure of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
We wish success to the 20th “Dimitar Stanchov” Cohort of Trainee Attachés!
