Open Day at the Foreign Ministry on November 4
01 November 2012 News
What does the Foreign Ministry do and what lies within that large building that can be seen from buses passing by on Tsarigradsko Chaussee?
Who are the people who make the decisions about diplomacy? And what do the Foreign Ministry, his deputy and the ministry spokesperson do?
What is “Black Marble”, where is the office of the Foreign Minister, and what are ‘agrements’ and ‘charges d’affaires’?
How many embassies does Bulgaria have and who is the first Bulgarian ambassador?
How can you venture into the thickets of diplomacy and become part of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs?
From 10am on November 4, you can learn the answers to these questions and many others, some of them unexpected. For the first time, the Foreign Ministry will open its doors, not only to show the austerity of the building, but also to demonstrate quite how interesting the work of our diplomats is.
From 10am to 2pm, at several places, such as the Culture and Diplomatic institutes, there will be information on the ministry’s main activities, with a special focus on the political agenda – the EU, the Balkans, the Middle East.
From 11am to 1pm, Foreign Minister Nickolay Mladenov will receive guests in his office.
At 1pm, there will be a real briefing by Foreign Ministry spokesperson Vessela Tcherneva, at which you can put your questions, with the Minister also available to answer.
Between 11am and 1pm, visitors can take part in an event organised by the Diplomatic Institute, simulating the UN Security Council meeting on „possible solutions to the conflict in Syria.
At 1.30pm, the Debating Association of Sofia will hold the finals of the national debating competition, with the prizes to the winners being handed over by the Foreign Minister.
Tours of the Foreign Ministry, conducted by an experienced guide, will start every hour on the hour at the State Cultural Institute stand. Visitors will be able to view the valuable collection of works of art and be briefed on the history of the institution.