site.bta18th World Meeting of Bulgarian Media Takes Place in Kazanlak

The 18th World Meeting of Bulgarian Media, organized by the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA), is taking place here between June 1 and June 4. The town is celebrating the 120th anniversary of its Rose Festival, which traditionally gathers thousands of guests from all over the world.

The theme of this year's edition of the World Meeting of Bulgarian Media is "Media and Freedom".

Journalists from 33 countries (including Bulgaria), among which representatives of 40 Bulgarian media from 16 countries, will participate in the World Meeting of Bulgarian Media in Kazanlak. The meeting will be covered by reporters from agencies partnering with BTA from 12 countries. Within the framework of the forum, BTA will sign a contract for cooperation and news exchange with the heads of six foreign news agencies.

The event will host Bulgarian media around the world representatives from Australia (the Bulgarian programme on SBS), Austria (the Bulgarian programme on Radio Orange 94.0), Argentina (My Bulgaria internet radio), the Vatican (Radio Vatican), Great Britain, Canada (Zornitsa TV and newspaper), Cyprus (BG Factor), Romania (MyRo.biz), USA (Eurochicago.com, BG Voice radio and online newspaper, Bulgaria Sega newspaper, BulgariCA online edition, the Razdumka po Nashenski podcast ) Slovakia (Snarodnik magazine, RTVS), Serbia (Glass Press, New Brotherhood, FAR multimedia portal), Ukraine (Roden Krai magazine) , Hungary (Hemus magazine, Bulgarski Vesti magazine), Croatia (Rodna Rech [Native Speech] bilingual journal) Czechia (Bulgari magazine, Roden Glas [Native Voice] magazine), etc.
A total of 13 Bulgarian media groups, 3 associations ( the Union of Bulgarian Journalists, the Union of Bulgarian National Electronic Media, and the Union of Publishers in Bulgaria) as well as an educational and scientific organization (Sofia University Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communications) will take part in the forum. 

The official guests of the event will include President Rumen Radev, Vice President Iliana Iotova, Foreign Minister Ivan Kondov, Minister of Education and Science Sasho Penov, Mayor of Kazanlak Municipality Galina Stoyanova, esteemed poet Nayden Valchev, author of the classic song "A Bulgarian Rose" to the music of Dimitar Valchev.

The World Meeting of Bulgarian Media will be opened on June 2 by BTA Director General Kiril Valchev, followed by addresses by Vice President Iliana Iotova, Ministers Ivan Kondov and Sasho Penov and Mayor Galina Stoyanova.

Later in the day, the participants and guests will attend a solemn blessing for prosperity on the occasion of the Day of Kazanlak and a parade in memory of national hero and poet Hristo Botev [June 2 is the Day of Hristo Botev and all those who died for Bulgaria].

On the last day of the meeting, June 4, President Rumen Radev will address all participants.

Within the framework of the World Meeting of Bulgarian Media in Kazanlak, there will be discussions in three panels: "Freedom for journalists", "Freedom of choice for the audience" and "Holidays and the media".

The moderators of the discussions will be the journalist, publisher and Editor-in-Chief of BG Voice from Chicago Yasen Darakov, the director of the LIK Directorate at BTA and teacher at the Faculty of Journalism at Sofia University, Assoc. Prof. Georgi Lozanov, and the founder of the MyRoBiz portal in Romania, Iulia Bahovski.

The first panel will include Alexander Todorov, journalist from the FAR multimedia portal in Serbia; Anton Hekimyan, Director of News, Current Affairs and Sports at bTV Media Group; Vasil Hristov, Secretary at the Foreign Press Association in London, Venelina Gocheva, publisher and Editor-in-Chief of 24 Chasa newspaper; Zhivka Milova, Editor-in-Chief of BG Factor in Cyprus, and Bulgarian National Radio Director General Milen Mitev.

The participants in the second panel will be Alexander Detev, editor at Deutsche Welle and producer of the Bulgarian programme on radio "Orange 94.0" (Austria); Veselina Valkanova , dean of the Faculty of Journalism and Mass Media Communication at Sofia University; Teodora Peeva, journalist, deputy Editor-in-Chief of Sega newspaper and Union of Publishers in Bulgaria Chair; Filli Ladgman, host of the Bulgarian programme on SBS radio in Australia; and Hristo Grozev, investigative journalist at Bellingcat.

The third panel will include Asya Ivanova, journalist from My Bulgaria internet radio in Argentina; Veneta Nenkova from Radio Vatican; Gabriela Hadzhikostova, Editor-in-Chief of the Hemus Bulgarian-Hungarian magazine for culture and public life; Daniel Koev from the Bulgarian podcast in the US, Razdumka po nashenski; Prof. Ivan Zhelev, author of the Orthodox Calendar column at BTA; Lyudmil Kardjilov, director of News and Current Affairs at Darik radio, Union of Bulgarian Journalists Chair Snezhana Todorova; and LIK magazine Editor-in-Chief Yanitsa Hristova.

During the event, the National Endowment Fund 13 Centuries Bulgaria award for Bulgarian media abroad will be presented, in recognition of the efforts of Bulgarian journalists working abroad to preserve and popularize the Bulgarian culture and spirit. The award is presented every year during the world meetings of the Bulgarian media, organized by BTA and the Association of Bulgarian Media Around the World.

The World Meetings of Bulgarian Media, organized by BTA, is a professional forum whose purpose is communication, building a network and establishing cooperative relationships between Bulgarian journalists from all over the world. In addition to being an event for the guild, the media meeting is also a national cause, as it provides an opportunity for the media to communicate with Bulgarians outside Bulgaria as mediators between communities abroad and representatives of state institutions in Bulgaria.

BTA is organizing the 18th World Meeting of the Bulgarian Media in Kazanlak from June 1 to June 4, 2023, with the assistance of the Municipality of Kazanlak, the 13 Centuries Bulgaria National Endowment Fund, Aurubis Bulgaria, Doverie Pension Assurance Company, Post Bank, A1 and Nestle Bulgaria AD.