On 20.06.2025, the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in Beirut performed a special ceremony to award the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Canada to Lebanon, H.E. Ms. Stefanie McCollum, with the Golden Laurel Twig, the highest award of the Bulgarian MFA.

The award was presented to Ambassador Stephanie McCollum for her substantial contribution for the evacuation and repatriation of Bulgarian citizens and members of their families from the Lebanese Republic to the Republic of Bulgaria in the period 03-07.10.2024.

In his greeting to H.E. Stephanie McCollum, Ambassador Iassen Tomov emphasized explicitly the indispensable, unreserved and gratuitous assistance provided by the Canadian Government and Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs through the assisted charter flights organized by the Canadian Mission in Beirut. He underscored the highly dedicated, open, utmost forthcoming and highly professional approach of the team of the Canadian mission under the leadership of Ambassador Stephanie McCollum and noted that the Bulgarian state, represented by the Bulgarian mission in Beirut, recalls with gratitude and highly appreciates the real terms help offered at an extremely difficult and unpredictable geopolitical moment in the Middle East region.