site.btaBulgaria’s State Institute for Culture Director: Our Main Tool Is Knowledge through Culture

Snezhana Yoveva-Dimitrova, Director of the State Institute for Culture under Bulgaria’s Foreign Ministry, said on Sunday that their main tool is knowledge through culture. Yoveva-Dimitrova participated in "Minutes for BG Institutions – A Bridge to BG Media Around the World," an event featured in the programme of the 20th World Meeting of Bulgarian Media, hosted by the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA).

She thanked BTA Director General Kiril Valchev for the opportunity to participate in the meeting and for providing media support that has helped expand the reach of their cultural projects.

Yoveva-Dimitrova added that 2025 will mark the 20th anniversary of the State Cultural Institute, which was established by then-Foreign Minister Solomon Passy. She said that the Institute was created with the aim to support Bulgaria’s diplomatic missions, particularly in countries without established Bulgarian cultural institutes, such as the United States, countries in Asia, Turkiye, and Albania.

She spoke about the partnerships the Institute had built with artists, cultural organizations, and educational institutions. Yoveva-Dimitrova highlighted several recent and upcoming initiatives, including exhibitions in London and Islamabad, as well as one scheduled to be opened by the Bulgarian Commissioner in the European Parliament on Monday.

“Some of our projects carried out in partnership with the embassies have been featured in BTA’s BG World section," she said, adding that without media support, they would not have reached the wider public.

Yoveva-Dimitrova said that the Institute is part of several international networks, including the European Union National Institutes for Culture and the Global Public Diplomacy Network. 

“Last but not least, we are strongly developing our digital presence,” she added, pointing to a fruitful partnership with Bulgarian National Radio (BNR). The Institute has promoted virtual concerts by BNR ensembles on its official YouTube channel, she noted.

The event also featured BNR Director General Milen Mitev, who thanked Yoveva-Dimitrova for the productive collaboration and announced an upcoming joint event with BTA in mid-June at the Bulgarian Cultural Institute in London. The programme will include a launch of a special issue of BTA’s LIK magazine, celebrating BNR’s 90th anniversary, a historical photo exhibition of the radio, and an exhibition featuring works by young artists who took part in a national competition supported by BNR. 

The 20th World Meeting of Bulgarian Media took place in a hybrid format in Sofia, the St Cyril and St Methodius Klisura Monastery, and the town of Varshets (Northwestern Bulgaria) on Saturday and Sunday. The event featured three discussion panels: “Culture in the Media,” “New Knowledge in the Media,“ and “Bulgarians in the 21st Century World and the Media.” The meeting was held with the support of A1, Aurubis Bulgaria, BGR Group Ltd., Geotechmin, Glavbolgarstroy Holding, Logistic Systems Ltd., the 13 centuries Bulgaria National Endowment Fund, SFA Automotive Ltd. (the official importer of Opel in Bulgaria), Postbank, Pachkov Ltd., and SOF Connect (the operator of Vasil Levski Sofia Airport).