site.btaBTA Signs Partnership Agreement with National Crafts Chamber

The Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) and the National Crafts Chamber (NCC) signed a partnership agreement on Friday. The document was signed by BTA Director General Kiril Valchev and President of the Chamber Ivan Vlaev at the National Press Club of BTA.

“Given the many regional members that you have and our large regional network, which covers so far 33 Bulgarian towns, we will start to have much more systematic information to disseminate, also in English,” the BTA Director General said.

He pointed out that in addition to the agreement signed today, the Agency has partnered with nine bilateral chambers from Germany, Romania, France, the United States, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, Japan, Moldova and recently with the British-Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce. “BTA also has partnerships with about thirty industry organizations in tourism, wine, major employers and trade unions. So we are adding another valuable partner, and the big idea is on the one hand to get systematic information from you, so that we can cover your events in the interest of all Bulgarian media, which can freely use BTA's information, and on the other hand - to use this information in our English-language issue with all copyrights settled,” said Valchev.

The agreement also provides for the Agency's partnership in various events organised by or with the participation of the Chamber.

Valchev pointed out that the contract is signed on the eve of the Day of Craftsmen – Petrovden (St Peter’s Day), June 29.

President of the National Crafts Chamber Ivan Vlaev expressed his satisfaction with the conclusion of the partnership with BTA on the eve of the Bulgarian Craftsmen's Day.

Radosveta Gospodinova, Executive Director of the National Chamber of Crafts, expressed hope that in the future the Chamber and BTA together will be able to restore the prestige of craftsmanship, which, in her words, has been lost in recent years. 

In her words, this partnership comes at an extremely important moment for Bulgarian craftsmen, when the introduction of the European regulation on geographical indications and designations is imminent, where the organisation will try to protect the origin of Bulgarian costumes, ceramics and carpets.

The Director General presented the President of the Chamber with some of the earliest photos in BTA’s archives relating to the organisation, which date back to 2002, recalling that the Crafts Act was passed in 2001, which established the National Chamber of Crafts and initiated the creation of regional chambers. Now the Chamber unites more than 20 regional chambers of crafts and 3 branch unions. 

Valchev presented the issue of the LIK magazine “Bulgaria at the World Expos”, which shows that after the liberation of Bulgaria, its participation in the world exhibitions was thanks to its craftsmen.