Bulgaria has made a worthy contribution to the development of aviation, President Rumen Radev said here on Friday after awarding the Presidential Badge of Honour to distinguished military pilots on the occasion of the World Aviation and Cosmonautics Day.
The award recepients were Lieutenant General (retired) Stefan Popov, Major General (retired) Evgeni Manev, Lieutenant Colonel (retired) Dinko Dinkov and Lieutenant Colonel (retired) Petar Krastev.
Radev said that behind Bulgaria's aviation histiry lie generations of pilots, who have demonstrated patriotism, dedication, courage and commitment.
Popov said he was grateful for the award and satisfied with the service in the Bulgarian Air Force. He said that this year's celebration of the World Aviation and Cosmonautics Day in Bulgaria improves the public’s attitude towards the field.
On April 12, 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human orbital to journey into outer space. He completed one orbit of the Earth in the Vostok 1 spacecraft, which lasted an hour and 48 minutes.
The International Day of Human Space Flight has been celebrated since 1969 by a decision of the Civil Aviation Organization as the World's Aviation and Cosmonautics Day. A United Nations General Assembly resolution adopted on April 7, 2011, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Gagarin's flight marks the day as International Human Space Flight Day.
/PP/
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