Sofia University, University of Patagonia Discuss Future Cooperation in Argentina

The National University of Patagonia in Comodoro Rivadavia hosted an academic and cultural event, which brought together representatives of Bulgaria and Argentina, BTA special correspondent Milena Ostrovska reported on Monday. The forum included a meeting between the head of the Bulgarian Antarctic mission Prof. Christo Pimpirev, Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski Rector Prof. Dr Georgi Valchev, and National University of Patagonia San Juan Bosco Rector Prof. Lidia Blanco, who discussed future cooperation. Sofia University and the University of Patagonia agreed to cooperate, to establish fruitful academic contacts, to exchange knowledge and experience, as well as to organize joint activities in various scientific fields.

The forum was attended by members of Bulgaria's 33rd Antarctic expedition and crew members of the Bulgarian naval research vessel Sv. Sv. Kiril i Metodii, who watched Maria Cherneva's documentary Edno Ledeno Lyato [One Icy Summer], which was followed by writer and geologist Gergana Lapteva presenting her book The Girl in the Portrait.

The programme concluded with a gala that featured performances by Bulgarian and Argentine formations. The performances highlighted the cultural exchange between the two nations. The event became a platform for strengthening ties between Bulgaria and Argentina, combining academic discussions and various art forms.

Some 2,000 descendants of Bulgarians live in Comodoro Rivadavia. One of the organizations in the city is the Cyril and Methodius Bulgarian Society, which was founded in 1989 in order to preserve and develop Bulgarian culture and traditions in Argentina. The Society has established a Bulgarian folk dance group and a musical formation.

Comodoro Rivadavia, home to some 180,000 people, is the largest city in the Patagonian province of Chubut in southern Argentina. Founded in 1901, many migrants, including Bulgarians, chose to settle there, after locals struck oil a few years later.

The RSV 421 departed from Varna on its third Antarctic expedition on November 7, 2024, and arrived at Livingston Island on December 28. The St Kliment Ohridski Bulgarian Antarctic Base on Livingston Island opened for the new polar season on November 23, 2024.

BTA has a national press club on the vessel and at the Bulgarian Antarctic base. This is the third year in a row that BTA has sent a correspondent to Antarctica. This year's correspondent is Milena Ostrovska, who arrived at the base on January 17. Her reports can be accessed free in English at Bulgaria-Antarctica BTA's Log on BTA's website and can be used for free by all media with attribution to BTA.