site.bta Diplomatic Institute Presents Annual Awards Dedicated to 20th Anniversary of Bulgaria's NATO Membership
The Bulgarian Diplomatic Institute to the Minister of Foreign Affairs presented its annual honorary awards at the BTA National Press Club in Sofia on Friday. This year the awards are dedicated to the 20th anniversary of Bulgaria's NATO membership. The awards are named Docendo Discimus after the Institute's motto: translated from the Latin, it means "by teaching, we learn."
As usual, the awards were given on Diplomatic Service Day, July 19.
The awards were bestowed on Bulgaria's Permanent Delegation to NATO represented by Ambassador Nikolay Milkov, the Permanent Representative to NATO, and the Varna-based Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy represented by its Rector, Flotilla Admiral Prof Boyan Mednikarov.
BTA Director General Kiril Valchev recalled that 145 years ago on July 19, Prince Alexander of Battenberg appointed the first Bulgarian diplomatic officers abroad - Dragan Tsankov, Evlogi Georgiev and Dimitar Kirovich - to Constantinople, Bucharest and Belgrade.
The history of Bulgarian diplomacy is much longer, Valchev said. This year marks the 1200th anniversary of the first known documented diplomatic relations with a foreign country - the Frankish Empire at the time of Khan Omurtagh, who reigned between 814-831, he said. He congratulated all Bulgarian diplomats on their professional holiday.
Bulgarian Diplomatic Institute Director Tanya Mihaylova said: "This year we decided to focus on a special anniversary - 20 years since Bulgaria joined NATO. This membership is one of the most significant achievements of modern Bulgarian diplomacy, and NATO and EU membership ranks alongside the memorable dates of Bulgaria's Unification and Independence."
Deputy Foreign Minister Ivan Kondov congratulated the diplomats on their professional holiday and thanked them for their work. "We are working in an extremely difficult and unpredictable environment. Nevertheless, I think we are coping with the challenges very well."
Ambassador Nikolay Milkov thanked BTA's Director General for the news agency's comprehensive news coverage of Bulgaria's foreign policy. He noted that the award is a recognition of the work of all members of the Permanent Delegation to NATO.
The diplomatic service is strong when it relies on the support of the institutions in Bulgaria, Ambassador Milkov said. Referring to the Docendo Discimus proverb, he noted that a diplomatic service is good when knowledge is passed on from one generation to another.
Prof Boyan Mednikarov thanked Kiril Valchev, saying that BTA has been one of the most committed partners of the Naval Academy in the last three years. "We are honoured to partner with the Bulgarian Diplomatic Institute on a number of educational projects related to Black Sea security, particularly in the current context," he said.
/MY/
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