World Meeting of Bulgarian Media Is Good Example of Media Diplomacy, Consul General of Bulgaria in Odesa Says

The Consul General of Bulgaria in Odesa, Svetoslav Ivanov, said here on Wednesday that the World Meeting of Bulgarian Media is a good example of media diplomacy. He attended the opening of the 19th edition of the forum at the BTA National Press Club in the Ukrainian city of Odesa.

"This meeting is a show of support from Bulgaria to Ukraine. Bulgaria condemns this aggression and supports Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders. As I stand before you, I recall the first day of the war, when the first bombs dropped and explosions echoed early in the morning, and the evacuation started," Ivanov said.

"The Bulgarian media played a very important and decisive role in those few days, because we managed to organize and evacuate over 500 Bulgarian citizens," he added.

Ivanov thanked BTA, in the person of its Director General Kiril Valchev, for having managed to open a press club in Odesa.

Bulgaria is the only European Union member state that has a correspondent's bureau and transmits information about the war and the lives of Bulgarians in Bessarabia, he noted.

"We know that some 150,000 Bulgarians live here and have managed to preserve the culture and traditions, the Bulgarian national identity," the Consul General added. He also pointed to the large number of Bulgarian Sunday schools.

"Let this meeting mark the beginning of the restoration of a just and lasting peace in Ukraine," Ivanov said.

BTA is organizing the 19th World Meeting of Bulgarian Media in Odesa, Bolhrad, and Izmail, Ukraine, from June 18 to June 21, 2024. The event is taking place with the support of Aurubis Bulgaria, A1 Bulgaria, Glavbolgarstroy Holding AD, Euroins Insurance Group, Postbank, SOF Connect, and the 13 Centuries of Bulgaria National Endowment Fund.

/NZ/