On July 25, 2023, the Mayor of New York City Eric Adams hosted a reception celebrating Eastern European cultural heritage, which took place at the historic Gracie Mansion Conservancy.

The Bulgarian Consul General Mr. Angel Angelov, together with the Consuls General of Ukraine and other countries of the region, took part in the event.

In his welcoming remarks Mayor Eric Adams thanked the Consuls General of the Eastern European countries and emphasized the importance of these communities for the development of the city. He highlighted the values ​​that Eastern Europeans stand for and believe in, such as family and education, public security and entrepreneurship. In his emotional speech Mayor Adams emphasized that America is a country that does not ask newcomers to abandon their homeland, but instead encourages immigrants to stay connected to it and contribute to the country's cultural diversity. He welcomed the citizens whose nationalities are hyphenated "("...we embrace... Bulgarian hyphen Americans, Ukrainian hyphen Americans...") and emphasized that it is precisely this inclusiveness of New York that makes it a city of hope, prosperity and diversity.