site.btaGovernment Proposes Highest State Award for Political Activist Ivan Nikolov

The Council of Ministers has decided to propose to President Rumen Radev to issue a decree awarding Ivan Nikolov with the Stara Planina Order without ribbon, first degree, for extraordinary services to the Republic of Bulgaria related to his consistent and unwavering protection of the rights, national identity and dignity of Bulgarians in the Republic of Serbia, the Council of Ministers said in a press release on Wednesday.

Ivan Nikolov is a long-time active representative of the Bulgarian minority in Serbia. In 1990, he played a leading role in the founding of the Democratic Union of Bulgarians in Yugoslavia, serving as its secretary and spokesperson. Since 1997, he has been the founder and chairperson of the Cultural Information Centre of the Bosilegrad Bulgarian National Minority.

Ivan Nikolov is a cultural and political activist who has worked devotedly to solve the problems of the Bulgarians and has made significant contributions to preserve Bulgarian spirit and symbols of Bulgarian identity in the Bosilegrad region.

His award is an expression of deep appreciation for his many years of work, as well as a testimony of Bulgaria’s constant commitment to the Bulgarian minority in Serbia, the Council of Ministers’ statement further reads.