site.btaPresident Radev Receives Bulgarian Antarctic Explorers

President Rumen Radev handed the national flag to the members of the 33rd Bulgarian Antarctic expedition at a ceremony in the Coat of Arms Hall of the Presidency building on Monday. The flag was accepted by the head of the expedition, Prof. Christo Pimpirev. “Today, we pay tribute to the Bulgarian state and scientists who, more than three decades ago, made Bulgaria one of the first nations to set foot confidently on Antarctica in an important mission for humanity,” Radev said. 

Prof. Pimpirev presented the President with a uniform of the expedition and invited the head of State to visit Antarctica while the Bulgarian scientists are there. “I hope that next year we will not face again the risk of endless consultations to form a government, and then I will be happy to put this gear on,” Rumen Radev replied.

“The White Continent is located 14,000 km away from Sofia, but even in this remote and hard-to-reach region Bulgaria has its strong and influential presence. There is hardly anyone today who thinks that the exploration of Antarctica is exotic or a whim of a group of scientists. Today we all know and believe that the exploration of the White Continent is the key to unlocking the mysteries of our planet, to curbing climate change and to building a sustainable future for the planet,” the President said.

In his words, the Bulgarian Antarctic base and expedition is becoming a truly attractive centre for the development of science on a global scale. With the naval research vessel Sv. Sv. Kiril i Metodii, the capabilities of our polar expedition have grown tremendously and we are becoming a factor internationally. With the completion of the new research laboratory at our base, our capabilities will grow further,” Radev added.

He also underscored the international cooperation in Antarctica. “In our time, torn by contradictions and conflicts, humanity is in dire need of a positive example of international cooperation, trust, mutual respect, understanding and support,” the head of State said, adding that scientists from Greece and Montenegro will be part of the Bulgarian expedition this year.

Greece is sending its scientists to Antarctica for the first time. They will be part of the next Bulgarian expedition and will travel on board the research vessel Sv. Sv. Kiril i Metodii, according to Simeon Konstantinidis, a retired officer of the Greek Navy with experience in oceanography and meteorology.

“We are planning to join the next Bulgarian expedition to Antarctica and to expand the cooperation between Bulgaria and Montenegro in this field,” Dr. Vesna Macic from the Institute of Marine Biology in Kotor and lecturer at the University of Montenegro told BTA.

Prof. Pimpirev noted that Bulgaria will help the UAE this year to start its exploration mission to Antarctica by sending two meteorologists.