News - USA, Chicago, Consulate General of the Republic of Bulgaria

During its session on November 7, City Council of Chicago unanimously adopted a resolution on the occasion of 120 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Bulgaria and the USA. The document notes that Bulgaria was admitted into and permitted to display an exhibit at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, an event hailed by the Chicago Tribune as the first diplomatic recognition accorded to Bulgaria as an independent state. The author Aleko Konstantinov and his travelogue "To Chicago and Back" is recognized as an inspiration to generations of Bulgarian emigrants in Chicago.

Consul General Svetoslav Stankov took part in the 101st Congress of the Macedonian Patriotic Organization in the USA and Canada (MPO), held in Columbus, Ohio.

Bulgarian delegation made first of its kind visit to the Congress of Ohio.

New Lexington, Ohio, hosted the 45th MacGahan Festival in honor of the work and legacy of the great American war correspondent and publicist Januarius Aloysius MacGahan.

Thousands of Bulgarians in Chicago took part in the Parade of Bulgaria on the occasion of May 24, the Day of the holy brothers Cyril and Methodius, of the Bulgarian alphabet, education and culture. Among the official guests was the Mayor of the Village of Elk Grove Village, Illinois, Craig Johnson, and Trustee Tammy Miller.

On March 24, the Illinois Senate unanimously passed a resolution acknowledging March as Bulgarian-American Heritage Month.

This year, the Consulate General in Chicago and the Bulgarian community in the city and across the Midwest celebrated Bulgaria's National Day, March 3, The Liberation Day, with a series of initiatives and events.

A delegation of the American Jewish Committee (AJC) visited the Consulate General of Bulgaria in Chicago. The visit was part of the AJC's 12th annual Diplomatic Marathon in the US Midwest. During the meeting, friendly and strategic relations between Bulgaria and the State of Israel were confirmed.

From the 2nd to the 5th of September the Macedonian Patriotic Organization in the United States and Canada (MPO) held its annual Convention in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where the Organization celebrated its 100th anniversary.