The Bulgarian Diplomatic Institute held a regional conference at Sofia Tech Park entitled “Science Diplomacy for South-East Europe: Building Regional Partnerships for Knowledge, Innovation, Resilience and Foreign Policy”, in partnership with the Hanns Seidel Foundation. The forum brought together participants from Bulgaria and other countries in South-East Europe, including diplomats, representatives of government institutions, the scientific and academic communities, civil society organisations and the business sector.
The conference aimed to initiate a regional expert, academic and policy dialogue on the role of science diplomacy and the newly adopted European Framework for Science Diplomacy. The framework was considered as a platform for deepening European integration, advancing regional cooperation and strengthening links between diplomacy, science, technology, innovation and the business community in South-East Europe.
The event was opened by Ms. Tanya Mihaylova, Director of the Bulgarian Diplomatic Institute; Mr. Yordan Parvanov, Director-General for European Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; and Dr. Klaus Fiesinger, Regional Director for South-East Europe at the Hanns Seidel Foundation. In their opening remarks, they emphasised the strategic need to build sustainable bridges between the scientific community, innovation and diplomatic practice in response to contemporary geopolitical and technological challenges.
A special address was delivered by Mr. Alessandro Lombardo, Head of Project Management at the Executive Secretariat of the Central European Initiative (CEI), who presented the regional dimension of science diplomacy as a tool for connectivity and accelerating European integration.
During the first panel, moderated by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Zdravko Popov, President of the Institute for Public Policy and member of the Bulgarian Diplomatic Institute’s National Advisory Council, participants shared their national experiences and perspectives on science diplomacy.
Ms. Evgenia Benyatoglou, Deputy Head of the Embassy of the Hellenic Republic in Bulgaria, presented, on behalf of the Secretary-General of the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the role of the scientific diaspora and the priorities of Greece’s forthcoming Presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2027.
H.E. Mr. Haxhi Bajraktari, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Kosovo to Bulgaria, highlighted the importance of regional cooperation and knowledge exchange for stability and integration in the Western Balkans.
Assoc. Prof. Dr Mürsel Doğrul, President of the Turkish Young Academy and Adviser to the President of the Turkish Academy of Sciences (TÜBA), outlined the role of scientific academies and young researchers in international dialogue.
Dr. Todor Lakić of the Faculty of Political Science at the University of Montenegro and Mr. Kiril Penev, Head of the Innovation Projects Department at Sofia Tech Park, complemented the discussion with academic and practical perspectives on the development of innovation ecosystems.
The afternoon session opened with a special address by Dr. Jan Marco Müller, Head of the Global Approach, Multilateral Dialogue and Science Diplomacy Unit at the European Commission, who presented the new European Framework for Science Diplomacy.
The subsequent panel discussion, moderated by Dr. Mariana Trifonova of the Institute for Economic Policy, featured Dr. Valentin Katrandzhiev, Chief Expert at the Bulgarian Diplomatic Institute; Corresponding Member Evdokia Pasheva, Vice-President of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences; Mr. Borislav Bankov, Head of the NATO DIANA Test Centre at GATE Institute; and Assoc. Prof. Dr Vesela Evtimova of the Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, representing the Bulgarian Antarctic Institute and the National Centre for Polar Studies at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”.
The conference reaffirmed Bulgaria’s and South-East Europe’s role as active contributors to the development of science diplomacy and laid the foundations for deeper partnerships among diplomatic institutions, scientific organisations and the technology sector across the region.
The Bulgarian Diplomatic Institute extends its gratitude to all panellists and to its partners at the Hanns Seidel Foundation for their contribution to the success of the event.
