Building a positive image of Bulgaria is a common cause
01 November 2013 News
"Building a positive image of our country is a common cause of the whole society - the institutions, the media, the public." This was said by the Deputy Foreign Minister Todor Churov in his statement at the seminar "Diplomacy and Media," organized by the Press center of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. At the meeting held today, representatives of the institution and journalists came together to comment on the important foreign policy issues and the practical side of the work of the MFA, topics, thatare most frequently subject of public attention. The topics of discussions at the forum were the foreign policy priorities of Bulgaria, the new structure of the MFA, the activities of the consular services and the crisis response, the collaboration with the media in these two areas, the role of the Diplomatic Institute to build a modern and efficient diplomacy, as well as the different aspects of cultural diplomacy.
At the openingof the forum, Deputy Minister Todor Churov presented the main priorities of the Bulgarian foreign policy and the objectives that the MFA has set for their implementation. Among those he placed the security of the country and the population, the provision of favorable conditions for economic and social developmentof the country, as well as the protection of the rights and interests of Bulgarian citizens and communities abroad.
Todor Churov focused onthe goals,the commitments and the opportunities that arise for our country's membership of the EU, NATO and other international organizations and multilateral formats. "Our membership ofthe EU and NATO is the platform of our foreign policy. It is a choice of values identification. The entire stateis involved in its implementation," the Deputy Ministersaid. In his words, the membership serves asmeans to achieve the goals we set ourselves as a country. It gives us the opportunitiesto actively participate inthe decision-making processand we must take advantage of them. With ourposition in international organizations, Bulgariaprotects two kinds of interests. "On one hand this is thecollective interest,formulated with the participation of all countries, on the other hand , the membership enables us to engagewith the protection of the national interest in addressing any issue," added Deputy Minister Todor Churov . "We must be active, loyal and valuable friend within the EU and such anallyof NATO," he pointed out in his statement. Among the priorityregions for our country, Deputy Minister Churov identifiedthe Western Balkans, the Danube and the Black Sea regions. He discussed alsoBulgaria's relations withcoutries other than the partners from the EU and NATO.
"The structure of the MFA was fully consistent with the way in which we shouldrealize our foreign policy ," said LatchezarPetkov , Secretary General of the institution. At the seminar,he presented the structure of the Foreign Ministry , which is in effect from 13 September 2013 , after the adoption of the Rules.
"The Bulgarian consular officers abroad are making extraordinary efforts to protect the rights and interests of Bulgarians abroad. This concernis central to their work , "said in his statementRakovsky Lashev , Director oftheConsular Relations Directorateat the MFA . The activity of the Bulgarian consulates is carrying well established traditions and is fully harmonized with the EU legislation , he added. The forum participants shared the viewthat not every consular case must be placed in the media spotlight , but working in cooperation with the media sometimes helps.
Lashev presented the work of our consular officials abroad , adding that certain options to strengthen the consular offices in Spain, Italy and other European countries, as well as in some Latin American countries are being considered.
One of the logical consequences of the new migration processes is thattheMFA registers asharp increase of the number of Bulgarian citizens caught up in the most diverse in their nature critical situations in the countries to which they are traveling or in which they reside. In an increasing number of places around the world, the Bulgarian citizensare facingrisky situations, related to political instability, terrorism, organized crime , natural disasters, etc. "These new challenges require us to providemore than just consular assistance." This was part of the statement of Eleonora Dimitrova, diplomat at the Press Center Directorate.She presented the activities of the Situation Center of theMinistry of Foreign Affairs and the responses to crisis situations. " The provision of assistance and the protection of the Bulgarian citizens abroad is our primary concern . A testimony ofthis is the formation of the Situation Center as a separate Directorate ofthe MFA, which today is a modern unit for Crisis Response, in accordance withall European requirements ,"said Eleonora Dimitrova.
The work of the Diplomatic Institute at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which marks the 10th anniversary of its establishment in 2013, and its role in the formation of expert and modern diplomacy, waspresented by its Director , Ms. Tanya Mihaylova. She presented the courses and training,organized by the Institute for employees of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and representatives of the state administration. " Our efforts are directed towardsoffering high expertise in the areas of foreign policy and diplomacy. We also provide the opportunity toforeign diplomats fromthe region to learn more about our country, "Tanya Mihaylovasaid. According to her, Bulgaria has the necessary resources to become a training center for European policy for diplomats from the countries on the path ofEuropeanintegration.
At the seminar "Diplomacy and Media " the possibilities of the "cultural diplomacy" to assist in thesuccessful implementation of the foreign policy priorities of Bulgariawere also discussed. In this part of the discussion, the Ministry was represented byYavor Koinakov from the National Institute for Culture at the MFA.
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