site.btaNational Programme Marking 20th Anniversary of Bulgaria's NATO Membership to Be Mottoed "NATO Because We Are Stronger Together"

At a ceremony at the Foreign Ministry, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mariya Gabriel awarded the finalists in the competition for students for the motto of the national programme with initiatives for celebrating the 20th anniversary of Bulgaria's NATO membership in 2024. The winner is the motto "NATO Because We Are Stronger Together" by Maria Nikolaeva from Sofia, the Foreign Ministry said in a press release on Tuesday.

Among the winners were Olga Dincheva from Stara Zagora with her motto "United for Security, Strong in Cooperation" and Ivanina Dimitrova from Varna with her motto "Strength in Unity".

Students from all over the country took part in the competition and their proposals were reviewed and evaluated by an expert committee of representatives of the Foreign Ministry and the Defence Ministry.

"NATO is a community of values and principles. Only by joining efforts, sharing best practices and highlighting Bulgaria's contribution to NATO can we be stronger," Gabriel said. "It is important that the messages of the young reach more people because through the eyes of the new generation we see what Bulgaria as a NATO member means to them and how to be stronger in today's world of challenges," Gabriel noted.

The motto will be part of the branding of the national initiatives programme to mark the 20th anniversary of Bulgaria's NATO membership in 2024 and will be used as a hashtag for social media posts (#NATOBecauseWeAreStrongerTogether).