site.btaDefence Ministry Awards Argentine Naval Officer for Cooperation with Bulgarian Antarctic Crew

Lieutenant Commander Cristian Ivan Aguilera of the Argentine Navy has been decorated by the Bulgarian Defence Ministry for his important contribution as advisor to the commander of the Bulgarian naval research vessel Sv. Sv. Kiril i Metodii (RSV 421) during the most recent Bulgarian expedition to Antarctica and for carrying out operational coordination with naval authorities.

Bulgarian Ambassador to Argentina Stoyan Mihaylov presented the award “For Contribution to Cooperation” to Lt. Cmdr. Aguilera, who is senior operations officer of a multipurpose corvette in the Argentine Navy. The ceremony took place in Buenos Aires on September 29, the Bulgarian Embassy reported.

Among the guests at the ceremony were Admiral Carlos Maria Allievi, Chief of the General Staff of the Argentine Navy; Maria Cecilia Ibanez, Member of Parliament and Chairperson of the Group for Friendship with Bulgaria in the Argentine Congress; Ambassador Francisco Javier Berguno Hurtado, Executive Secretary of the Antarctic Treaty; Ruja Nikolova, Chair of the Argentine-Bulgarian Foundation; representatives from the Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires; as well as members of the Bulgarian community.

In a speech during the ceremony, Ambassador Mihaylov highlighted the intensive and mutually beneficial cooperation between the Bulgarian and Argentine Navies. He emphasized the crucial support provided by the Argentine Navy for the annual Bulgarian Antarctic expeditions and stressed the active bilateral naval cooperation as a platform opening new horizons for collaboration in several strategic areas, the Embassy said.

The Bulgarian diplomat shared the crew’s excellent assessment of Lt. Cmdr. Aguilera, praising not only his professional fulfilment of duties but also the positive interpersonal relations developed during their joint voyage.