site.btaUkrainian City of Izmail Hosts Final Panel of 19th World Meeting of Bulgarian Media

The Ukrainian city of Izmail hosted the final panel of the 19th World Meeting of Bulgarian Media on Friday. This annual get-together of the Bulgarian journalists and representatives of Bulgarian-language media outlets abroad, was held by the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) beginning June 18, with panels taking place in the Ukrainian cities of Odesa, and Bolhrad. Mottoed "Media and Community", it was held in a hybrid format with in-person and online participants. 

The Bulgarian delegation experienced six air raid alerts since 18 June and the sirens interrupted the second panel in Bolhrad on Thursday. 

Titled "Science and Universities as Appearing in Bulgarian Media", Friday's panel was held at the Izmail State University of Humanities. 

The discussion was moderated by BTA Deputy Director General Evgenia Drumeva. Among the participants were Prof. Dr. Georgi Valchev, Rector of the St. Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia, Prof. Dr. Dragomir Plamenov, Rector of the Technical University in Varna, Prof. Dr. Evgeni Stanimirov, Rector of Varna University of Economics, Prof. Dr. Plamen Kangalov, Rector of the Angel Kanchev University of Ruse, and Prof. Dr. Yaroslav Kichuk, Rector of the Izmail State University of Humanities.

BTA Director General Kiril Valchev, who unveiled the final panel said that BTA has a dedicated space for Bulgarians abroad, as well as for knowledge and culture, as those are the Bulgarian diaspora's strongest connection based on common language and traditions. Valchev spoke about two sections on BTA's website entitled BG World and LIK (Culture, Science, Education). He said: "This is our signal that these topics in the media should be equal to topics such as politics and sports, for which media tend to have a separate space."

Bulgarian universities are well known in Ukraine, said BTA Deputy Director General Evgenia Drumeva. She said that there are two main questions on the third panel’s agenda: whether there is sustainable communication between universities and Bulgarian media and whether the media's narrative about science is adequate in the times of social networks and fake news.

Varna University of Economics Rector Prof. Dr. Evgeni Stanimirov said that higher education institutions should adopt a marketing approach when presenting their achievements in education and science. In his words, the relationship between the media and higher education institutions is key, and an increasing number of universities are succeeding in presenting their achievements to the public.

Varna Technical University Rector Prof Dragomir Plamenov said that the university is part of the large university community in Bulgaria and applies modern approaches in its interaction with media, science and other universities. The Varna Technical University provides its students with the opportunity to develop their media skills and share the important news and events of university life, he said. He also talked about the role of the media and the cooperation with BTA as an example of positive coverage of the events happening in university life. 

Both journalists and rectors have the same problem - misinformation and the dismissal of science on social networks, which is happening right now, said Alexandrina Hristova, Director of International News at Nova Broadcasting Group Ltd, Bulgaria. According to Hristova, another problem is that the generation that is currently attending universities does not recognize the traditional media and does not inform themselves "in the way we have informed ourselves".

The Rector of the St Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia, Prof. Georgi Valchev, urged his "colleagues from Bulgarian universities to strengthen our ties with the universities in Ukraine", describing it as "our duty". The Rector said that they should open their doors to Ukrainian students who want to receive quality higher education in Bulgaria and start a "much more active dialogue with the Education and Science Ministry so that this process can be supported through sustainable policies".

Prof. Hristo Beloev, the Rector of the Angel Kanchev University of Ruse, said that they work with many institutions from Ukraine and have contacts with a dozen universities and scientific institutes there. He added that despite the current difficulties caused by the war and its consequences, contacts with Ukrainian partners have increased.

Izmail State University of Humanities Rector Yaroslav Kichuk suggested that an Institute of Bulgarian Studies should open. He said the academic community pays big attention to the development of the ethnic Bulgarian community in Ukraine. "An effective strategy for developing and supporting this community needs to be created, including through the media," Prof. Kichuk said.

The participants in the 19th World Meeting of Bulgarian Media honored the memory and the work of the Bulgarian poet and revolutionary Hristo Botev in the city of Izmail, Ukraine, by laying flowers at a Botev monument in the courtyard of Izmail State Humanitarian University.

The Bulgarian delegation for the 19th World Meeting also included Bulgaria's Consul General in Odesa Svetoslav Ivanov, Executive Agency for Bulgarians Abroad Executive Director Rayna Mandzhukova, the Director General of the Bulgarian National Radio Milen Mitev, the Chair of the Council for Electronic Media Gabriela Naplatanova, representatives of Bulgarian media and Bulgarian-language media outlets abroad.

BTA organized the 19th World Meeting of Bulgarian Media in Odesa, Bolhrad, and Izmail, Ukraine, from June 18 to June 21, 2024. The event took 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.