Bulgarian Diplomatic Institute

📖 The Bulgarian Diplomatic Institute is planning the publication of its new collection of articles on "The EU Energy and Climate Policies - Trends or Needs for a Change in the European Perspective". The articles in the collection should address issues related to measures taken at European and national level to address the energy crisis, as well as the dynamics of EU energy and climate diplomacy with third countries against the backdrop of new geopolitical realities. 🌍 ✅ Researchers on the topic who wish to have their publication featured in the forthcoming edition can submit a short annotation on the chosen topic, which should include: an outline of the issues, the author's thesis, conclusions and keywords. The text should be submitted in English and formatted as follows: file format - docx; margins - 2.5; font type - Times New Roman; font size - 12; line spacing - 1.5; text length - 350 to 500 words; and include the author's name and current field of work. ⚠️ Submissions should be sent by 10 February 2025 to the following e-mail addresses: katarina.atanasova@mfa.bg; slenner@yahoo.com. ℹ️ Submitted annotations will be selected by an editorial board, and authors will be notified of next steps in the publication process - further requirements, individual deadlines, graphic layout, etc. Publications should be finalised by the authors by 17 March 2025, with a view to publication of the proceedings in May 2025. Articles should be up to 15 standard printed pages in length (1800 characters including spacing) and written in English. ❓ For further questions, please contact Ms. Katarina Atanasova, Associate in the Training, Research and Project Activities Department of the Bulgarian Diplomatic Institute (katarina.atanasova@mfa.bg) or the Editor-in-Chief of the publication, Mr. Slavcho Neykov (slenner@yahoo.com). 👈

🆕 A meeting between the Director of the Bulgarian Diplomatic Institute Tanya Mihaylova and H.E. Mr. Mehmet Sait Uyanak, Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey to Bulgaria, was held this week. ℹ️ Within the framework of the talks, various forms of cooperation between the Institute and similar diplomatic training institutions in Turkey were discussed. 👥 Emphasis was also placed on the possibility for Turkish diplomats to participate in the annual international training formats organized by the Institute, such as the Winter School on Diplomacy and the International Seminar on Energy and Climate Diplomacy. Initiatives in the field of public diplomacy and strategic communications were also discussed. ⚫ The Director of the Institute took the opportunity to express his condolences to the Turkish State on the tragic incident in the ski resort Kartalkaya.

👉 We were pleased to host a visit by representatives of the Association of Jordanians Graduates in Bulgaria, following up on the contacts established during the visit of the Director of the Bulgarian Diplomatic Institute to Amman in December 2024. ✅ Our guests Mr. Ali Al Fayez, Ms. Sara Al Fayez and Eng. Nabil Al-Bakri held a meeting with the Director of the Institute, Ms. Tanya Mihaylova, and made a presentation to the Institute's team on the historical development of Jordan and the prospects for bilateral relations with Bulgaria. They also had the opportunity to visit the Institute's library and the protocol rooms of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 👍 In the presence of representatives of the Institute and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including Mr. Dimitar Mihaylov, Ambassador-at-Large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and former Ambassador of Bulgaria to Jordan, they presented a plaque on behalf of the Association to Ms. Mihaylova, who in turn also awarded them with a plaque of the Bulgarian Diplomatic Institute. 🙏 We would like to thank the Association of Jordanians who have completed their higher education in Bulgaria for the fruitful cooperation and cordial exchanges that create more opportunities for the excellent bilateral dialogue between Bulgaria and Jordan.

🆕 Within the framework of our Open Doors programme, we had the pleasure to host two visits at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs - of students from the Political Science and Public Administration majors at the Faculty of Philosophy of Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski" and students from 11th grade at 138 High School for Western and Eastern Languages "Prof. Vasil Zlatarski". ✅ The Director of the Bulgarian Diplomatic Institute, Tanya Mihaylova, welcomed the two groups and introduced them to the role and functions of the diplomatic service and the BDI, the current trends in the diplomatic profession and the opportunities and requirements for career development in Bulgarian diplomacy. Mr. Iordan Stoitchkov, Head of the Training, Research and Project Activities Department at the Institute, also participated in the meeting with the students from Sofia University and presented the various training activities that the Institute organizes for the diplomatic service and the civil service. 📌 Mr. Atanas Dimov, Second Secretary and Desk Officer for Turkey in the Directorate for South East Europe at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, joined the meeting with the students, sharing advice and recommendations from his career in the diplomatic service. 📚 Both groups also received the latest publications of the Institute. We wish them success and hope to see them in the ranks of Bulgarian diplomacy in the future!

✨ The Director of the Bulgarian Diplomatic Institute Tanya Mihaylova was a guest at the official celebration of the 30th anniversary of our partners from the Students' Diplomatic Club at Sofia University. 🎓 She congratulated the students from the club, highlighting their role as one of the most active student organizations in Bulgaria, from which the path of a number of Bulgarian diplomats started. Ms. Mihaylova wished the students professional success in the field of diplomacy at a time when more than ever effective diplomatic tools are needed to tackle global conflicts and challenges. 🏛️ The ceremony was attended by a number of representatives of state institutions, academia and the diplomatic corps, including the President of the National Assembly, Assoc. Natalia Kiselova. 🏅During the ceremony, the Bulgarian Diplomatic Institute was honoured by the Students' Diplomatic Club with a special plaque for the long-lasting sustainable cooperation over the years. 🙌 We wish success and longevity to the Students' Diplomatic Club!

🆕 Brazilian Corner was opened at the National Library "St. Cyril and Methodius" in the presence of diplomats, representatives of institutions, journalists and friends of Brazil. 📖 We are glad that among the selection of classical and contemporary Brazilian literature in the newly opened corner there is also the Portuguese edition of the book "The King Travels" ("A viagem do rei"), which is a diary of the journey of the Bulgarian Tsar Ferdinand to South America in 1927-1928. The publication of the book in Bulgarian and Portuguese was a joint project of the Brazilian Embassy in Sofia and the Bulgarian Diplomatic Institute, whose library houses the only publicly available original German version of the diary in Bulgaria. ✅ The Director of the Institute, Tanya Mihaylova, had the pleasure of attending the opening of the Brazilian Corner at the National Library as the Bulgarian representative on the Board of the International Foundation "European Union - Latin America and the Caribbean" (EU-LAC). 🙌 Congratulations to the Embassy of Brazil in Sofia for the wonderful initiative!

👉 Our Director Tanya Mihaylova participated in the first working meeting of the Steering Committee of the European Union Diplomatic Academy (EUDA). 🖥️ The meeting was held in a hybrid format, with the participation of all representatives on the board from the training institutions of the EU Member States. ℹ️ The main topic on the agenda was the discussion and adoption of a new training programme specifically prepared for participants from the countries involved in the enlargement process of the European Union - the Western Balkans and the Eastern Partnership. ✅ This new strand of EUDA's work represents a very good opportunity to gain knowledge and to bring learners from these countries into the policies and values of a united Europe.

🆕 The priorities of the Polish presidency of the Council of the EU that started on 1 January 2025 and the Bulgarian point of view on them were presented today at a public discussion at the House of Europe in Sofia. 👍 The priorities of the Polish Presidency under the motto "Security, Europe!" were presented by H.E. Maciej Szymanski, Ambassador of Poland in Bulgaria. They cover a total of 7 dimensions of security in Europe: external (defence and development of the military industry), internal (protection of the population and borders from illegal migration), information (resistance to disinformation and malicious information interference in Europe), economic (stability and freedom for business), energy (fair energy transition), food (competitive and sustainable agriculture), health (improving the mental health of European children and adolescents). ℹ️ The event was traditionally jointly organised by the Bulgarian Diplomatic Institute, PanEuropa-Bulgaria, the European Commission in Bulgaria, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Bulgarien and the Embassy of Poland in Bulgaria. 👥📌 The discussion was also joined by Foreign Minister Ivan Kondov and Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov, who congratulated Poland on the choice of priorities and focused on the full membership of Bulgaria and Romania in the Schengen area from the beginning of 2025, as well as Bulgaria's immediate foreign policy priorities such as the accession to the Eurozone, the strong support for the EU enlargement policy in compliance with the principle of the own merits of the candidate countries and the need to modernise the armed forces. 🙌 We wish success to the Polish Presidency of the Council of the EU! 

🎬 You don't need an Oscar to get a US visa! 👉 The information campaign of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria is part of the efforts to include Bulgaria in the US Visa Waiver Program. 👏 Almost 94% of Bulgarians who applied for a US tourist visa in 2024 have been approved. ❗If we manage to increase this percentage a bit more, we will soon be able to visit the US as a tourist without a visa. 🙌 The face of the campaign is the Bulgarian actress with a successful career in Hollywood Maria Bakalova. ✅ Visit vizaacademy.com for useful practical information on the US visa application process. https://lnkd.in/dZEfcNpN

🆕📣 In 2024 The Bulgarian Diplomatic Institute is working on finalizing a number of its new publications that we will offer to readers in the new year 2025: 📌 A special edition dedicated to diplomatic efforts to resolve the case of the Bulgarian medics in Libya, including archival diplomatic documents and interviews with a number of Bulgarian and foreign diplomats and statesmen involved in the process. The project is realized together with the journalist Georgi Milkov; 📌 Specialized edition "Life Archives. 20 years since Bulgaria's accession to NATO", including interviews with personalities actively involved in the accession process. The project is realized together with the journalist Lyubomir Denov; 📌 Edition in English with reports from representatives of all religious denominations in Bulgaria from the seminar held at the end of October 2024 "Unity of religions and communities in Bulgaria: dimensions of publicity and diplomacy with universal applicability"; 📌 Second updated edition of the Digital Diplomacy Handbook for Bulgarian diplomatic missions. 📚 We believe that the expertise presented in the editions will be useful for those involved in foreign policy and diplomacy, as well as for all readers interested in international relations. Coming soon!