The Bulgarian Diplomatic Institute had the pleasure of hosting the first module of the sixth edition of its traditional Introduction Seminar for Newly Arrived Foreign Diplomats in Bulgaria at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The event was opened by Ms. Tanya Mihaylova, Director of the Bulgarian Diplomatic Institute, and Ms. Ivanka Tasheva, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. They welcomed the foreign diplomats who had begun their assignments in Bulgaria over the past year and emphasised the key role of personal contact in diplomacy. Deputy Minister Tasheva presented Bulgaria’s current foreign policy priorities, including regional connectivity, peace and security, economic diplomacy and support for multilateralism.
The event was attended by foreign diplomats from the embassies in Bulgaria of the following countries: Vietnam, Germany, Georgia, Greece, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Cambodia, China, Kosovo, Poland, Romania, the United States, Finland, France, Croatia and Japan.
The programme for the first module focused on the history of the modern Bulgarian state and Bulgaria’s contemporary foreign policy. The speakers included Assoc. Prof. Dr. Naoum Kaychev of the Faculty of History at Sofia University; Ambassador Petko Doykov, Director-General for Bilateral Relations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and Ambassador Georgi Panayotov, Ambassador-at-Large at the Security Policy Directorate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Participants explored key milestones in the history of the Third Bulgarian State and the main priorities of Bulgaria’s foreign policy, with a particular focus on connectivity and security in the Balkans and the Black Sea region.
The day concluded with a lecture on Bulgarian winemaking, indigenous grape varieties and the country’s wine regions, delivered by Mr. Mihail Markovski, Chairperson of the Association of Sommeliers in Bulgaria. The lecture was complemented by a tasting of selected Bulgarian wines.
The seminar aims to provide newly arrived foreign diplomats in Sofia with a comprehensive understanding of contemporary Bulgaria and its policies, while fostering a network of professional contacts and cooperation among participants. The upcoming modules will focus on the economy, investment and tourism; science, technology, media and civil society; and Bulgaria’s culture and traditions.
