site.btaBTA Commemorates 10th Anniversary of Press Club in Bosilegrad

A news conference on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of BTA's Press Club in Bosilegrad was held here on Friday.

BTA Director General Kiril Valchev said the fact that BTA has managed to maintain this Press Club for ten years is a common success for Bulgarians on both sides of the border. He recalled that the Press Club in Bosilegrad is BTA's first one outside Bulgaria, opened on December 12, 2015, with Aleksandar Dimitrov as the Agency's correspondent. Valchev also quoted former BTA Director General Maxim Minchev, who at the opening of the press club said: "I sincerely hope that with this new Bulgarian cultural and information point we will strengthen the two-way exchange of information and make more people empathize with what is happening here."

The BTA Press Club in Bosilegrad is an important element of the efforts to strengthen ties between Bulgaria and Serbia, Bulgarian Ambassador to Serbia Angel Angelov said in a congratulatory message. Angelov emphasized that over the past decade the press club has developed as a prestigious platform for information, communication and interaction between institutions, media and citizens. “It contributes to the better visibility of the Bulgarian community, to the assertion of its identity and to the maintenance of an active public life in the region. Its activity is an important element of the efforts to strengthen the ties between Bulgaria and Serbia and to promote an open and constructive dialogue,” he pointed out.

The Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue to support the activities of BTA at its Press Club in Bosilegrad, said Tsvetomir Yordanov from the Bulgarian Consulate in Nis. "Continue to be a pillar of Bulgarianness in Serbia", he emphasized, adding that he wishes BTA to be increasingly active in their work and to move forward. 

“The problems in Bosilegrad are by no means few. I regret that changes could not be achieved at the national level which, in turn, might have driven changes at the local level. I must emphasize my deep concern that many young people have left in search of better places to live and work. Bosilegrad is ageing, weakening, and its prospects are not good,” said Bosilegrad Cultural Information Centre Chair Ivan Nikolov. He stressed that BTA and the Centre have not only disseminated information but have also produced it. “Unfortunately, more of our information reaches the Bulgarian public sphere than the Serbian one, but it seems Serbian media are still not sufficiently open to what is happening here,” Nikolov pointed out.

During the event, Rumen Barosov was presented with the Maxim Minchev Award for exceptional contribution to culture, media and the rapprochement of Bulgarian communities abroad. The GLAS Association and the St Kliment Ohridski Student Community Centre in Bosilegrad, represented by Rumen Barosov, have organized a total of five editions of the international painting plein-air titled Bosilegrad in Colors. "I am very impressed by what BTA is doing to organize this open-air event. We have another initiative called Days of Bulgarian Documentary Cinema in Bosilegrad, which I hope to continue next year," Barosov said while accepting the award.

The award is organized by the GLAS Association in Bosilegrad and named after former BTA General Director Maxim Minchev. "It is a great responsibility to carry an award in the name of Maxim Minchev, but I see similarities between him and you," Valchev said, who presented the award to Barosov.

Before the closing of the news conference, BTA correspondent in Bosilegrad Aleksandar Dimitrov announced that the 13th Christmas charity initiative here has raised BGN 3,500 so far in 2025. The fundraising will continue until December 22, when the final sum raised will be announced. The funds will be used for various youth projects and initiatives in 2026.

BTA currently has 43 Press Clubs in total in Bulgaria and abroad.