REPUBLIC OF BULGARIA

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Diplomatic Institute

The Bulgarian Diplomatic Institute is the first institution for professional training of diplomats and civil servants in the field of foreign policy in Bulgaria.

“Togetherness of Religions and Communities in Bulgaria: Dimensions of Publicity and Diplomacy with Universal Applicability” (2025)

25/02/2026

The publication is a joint project of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria and the Bulgarian Diplomatic Institute, initiated by the Religious Diplomacy Working Group at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs following a series of meetings, discussions and consultations involving Bulgaria’s leading religious communities, interfaith dialogue organisations, state institutions, researchers and intellectuals. The project was implemented within the framework of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Plan and Programme of Activities for 2024 in the fields of public, cultural and digital diplomacy and strategic communications.

Togetherness of Religions and Communities in Bulgaria_final Download

The publication brings together the papers presented by participants in the seminar “Togetherness of Religions and Communities in Bulgaria: Dimensions of Public Diplomacy and Universal Applicability”, held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 30 October 2024. The seminar aimed to present and develop a deeper understanding of some of the distinctive moral virtues of the Bulgarian people, foremost among them tolerance, humanism and the absence of fanaticism. All of these were examined in the context of their contribution to European diversity.

Contributors to the publication include: His Eminence Metropolitan Antony of Western and Central Europe, Holy Synod of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church; Mr Vedat S. Ahmed, Chairman of the Supreme Muslim Council of the Muslim Denomination in Bulgaria; His Excellency Monsignor Petko Valov, President of the Episcopal Conference of the Catholic Church in Bulgaria; Pastor Vladimir Raychinov, Deputy Chairman of the United Evangelical Churches in Bulgaria and member of the Board of the European Evangelical Alliance; Prof. Garabed Minassian, representative of the Diocesan Council of the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church in Bulgaria; Mr Maxim Delchev, Chairman of the Central Israelite Spiritual Council; Prof. Dr Yordan Peev, doyen of Arab Studies in Bulgaria and recipient of the UNESCO-Sharjah Prize; Assoc. Prof. Dr Ivaylo Naydenov, Dean of the Faculty of Theology at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”; Dr Nikolay Neshev, Chairman of the Bulgarian Forum for Interfaith Dialogue and Cooperation; Prof. Simeon Evstatiev, Head of the Department of Arabic and Semitic Studies and Director of the Centre for the Study of Religions at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”; Dr Bogdan Patashev, Ambassador of the Republic of Bulgaria to the Holy See (2019–2023) and Head of the International Activities Department at the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Bulgaria; Assoc. Prof. Dr Albena Taneva, Department of Public Administration at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”; Mr Georgi Milkov, Special Correspondent at 24 Chasa newspaper; Prof. Dr Jorjeta Nazarska, University of Library Studies and Information Technologies (UNIBIT); Mr Boyko Vassilev, Producer and Host of Panorama, Bulgarian National Television (BNT); and Assoc. Prof. Dr Kiril Kartalov, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and Corresponding Member of the Pontifical Committee for Historical Sciences.