site.btaParticipants in BTA's Media Meeting in Ukraine Pay Tribute at Writer Ivan Vazov's Memorial Plaque in Odesa

Participants in the 19th World Meeting of Bulgarian Media, underway in the south of Ukraine, laid a wreath at the memorial plaque of the patriarch of Bulgarian literature, Ivan Vazov (1850-1921), in Odesa on Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, the BTA press club in the Ukrainian Black Sea city hosted the opening and the first discussion within the meeting, which will continue on Thursday and Friday with more discussions in Bolhrad and Izmail. The three places are home to large Bulgarian communities.

The plaque commemorating the great novelist, short-story writer, poet and essayist stands in Sofievskaya Street in downtown Odesa, where Vazov lived while in exile and where he started writing the seminal novel Under the Yoke.

Vazov arrived in Odesa by sea on January 20, 1887. Initially, he stayed at the Slavyanskaya Hotel. On January 4, 1888, he moved to a place on Sofievskaya Street. While living in the city, he travelled to a nearby Bulgarian village and showed interest in the life of Bulgarian immigrants.

The Bulgarian delegation to the BTA-organized meeting in Ukraine comprises Bulgarian National Radio Director General Milen Mitev, BTA Director General Kiril Valchev and his deputy Evgenia Drumeva, Sofia University Rector Georgi Valchev, Executive Agency for Bulgarians Abroad Director Raina Mandzhukova and representatives of news media in Bulgaria and Bulgarian-language media worldwide.

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.