site.btaUPDATED Historians Georgi Nikolov, Peter Schreiner Awarded Bulgarian President's Badge of Honour

President Rumen Radev Thursday awarded the Presidential Badge of Honour to historians Prof. Georgi N. Nikolov and Prof. Peter Schreiner for their overall contribution to the study of medieval Bulgarian history and Tsar Samuel's Bulgaria.

For decades, Prof. Schreiner and Prof. Nikolov have devoted their efforts to the study, preservation and presentation to the global community of one of the most crucial periods in Bulgarian medieval history, Samuel's Bulgaria and the deeds of Tsar Samuel, President Radev said.

The award ceremony is in the framework of the national commemoration of the 1010th anniversary of the death of Tsar Samuel, which is held under the auspices of the President.

Prof. Nikolov was also honoured for his role in the establishment and development of modern Bulgarian historical science and scientific school, while Prof. Schreiner won recognition for his contribution to the development of bilateral relations in the field of science between Bulgaria and Germany.

"On behalf of the entire Bulgarian scientific and academic community and the entire Bulgarian people, I would like to express our deep gratitude for your long-standing research on Bulgarian and Byzantine history. With your remarkable research, you give us the opportunity to better understand this period and present it in the best way to the world," Radev told Schreiner.

"You are one of the most prestigious Bulgarian historians and researchers of the Bulgarian Middle Ages. Thanks to your numerous works, we also get a broader insight into the deeds of Tsar Samuel, the essence of Bulgarian statehood and its significance for the overall historical period in a broader context," the President told Nikolov.

Bulgaria has done a lot for me, Prof. Schreiner said. He said his 60 publications try to show the medieval history of Bulgaria in Germany, adding that he got acquainted with this country in 1977 thanks to a Bulgarian invitation.

"I am proud to have been involved in the history of Samuel's Bulgaria for decades and it is today, on the eve of the anniversary of Samuel's death, that I receive this award," Prof. Nikolov said.

He pointed out that Tsar Samuel is a symbol of struggle, state survival and freedom of Bulgaria. "That is why it is not a coincidence that he created an entire epoch in our history", Nikolov stressed.