Thursday, December 12 2019 21:07

ArmInfo. On December 12, the Embassy of Bulgaria in the Republic of Armenia celebrated the 140th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic mission at  Yerevan State University.

On the occasion of the celebration, an exhibition was held at the  Faculty of International Relations, which presented 14 posters of the  most significant events and key figures of the diplomatic mission of  Bulgaria, starting from the 1870s and ending with a new time.

Having presented the history of the establishment of the first  diplomatic departments in Bulgaria, Ambassador Extraordinary and  Plenipotentiary of Bulgaria to the Republic of Armenia Ms.  Maria  Pavlova Tsotsorkova-Kaymakchieva emphasized that today the role of  the diplomatic mission has become even more important in promoting  foreign policy priorities and in preserving the values of the  Bulgarian people.

The first Ministry of Foreign Affairs created in Bulgaria, she said,  consisted of 3 departments, in which 12 people worked. Currently,  Bulgaria has 106 representative offices worldwide, of which 76 are  embassies. The ambassador also noted that until 2003, Bulgarian  diplomats studied at international diplomatic schools and academies.  And in 2003, the Institute of Diplomacy was opened at the Ministry of  Foreign Affairs.

"Thanks to the consistent efforts of the Bulgarian diplomatic mission  over 25 years, we have achieved two foreign policy priorities - in  2004, membership in NATO and in 2007 - European integration. The  Bulgarians made an informed choice and are now confidently following  the path of democracy, the rule of law and human rights, "said Ms.  Pavlova Tsotsorkova-Kaymakchieva.

In an interview with ArmInfo correspondent, the Ambassador noted that  the Bulgarian diplomatic mission went through various stages,  however, the most important events in the past were the unification  of Bulgaria in 1885 and the declaration of Independence in 1908.  Regarding the new era, the Ambassador attributed European integration  and NATO membership to the most important events.

Regarding relations with the Republic of Armenia, Ms. Pavlova  Tsotsorkova-Kaymakchieva noted that the Armenian community acts as a  link between Armenia and Bulgaria. "This entails the development of  relations both in the political arena and in the economic sphere,"  she said, while emphasizing that the potential in trade, economic and  investment cooperation has not been fully realized. At the same time,  Pavlova Tsotsorkova-Kaymakchieva highly appreciated the relations of  Armenia and Bulgaria in the cultural, educational and scientific  fields.

It should be noted that, according to the Statistical Committee of  the Republic of Armenia, the foreign trade turnover between the  Republic of Armenia and Bulgaria in January-October 2019 amounted to  $ 207.2 million, with an annual decline of 7.6%. In particular,  exports decreased by 4.7% to $ 183.5 million, while imports fell by  25.6% to $ 23.7 million.