site.btaPresident Stresses Importance of Clean Sea, Protecting Biodiversity

President Rumen Radev told reporters on Tuesday that people should strive to leave the next generation a cleaner sea and greater biodiversity. He attended the sinking of the fishing vessel Chavdar, built in 1964, to the sea floor off the coast of Sozopol as part of an initiative by writer Mihail Zaimov and his associates. Radev was among the first to dive after the vessel reached the seabed at a depth of about 30 metres.

The President stressed the importance of the Black Sea for national security, the economy, and environmental protection. He noted that Bulgaria must uphold its status as a maritime country and expressed his gratitude to Mihail Zaimov's team for their efforts in this direction. Radev described their work on artificial reefs in Bulgarian waters as "very important for the preservation and development of biodiversity."

The head of State also pointed out the importance of underwater cultural heritage. "In our waters, we have exceptionally well-preserved prehistoric settlements and ships. This puts us in a very strong position on the world map of underwater archaeology and could be another magnet for the development of tourism in Bulgaria," he said.

Radev spoke about the submerged facility, which will soon become a new ecological and tourist attraction. He added that scientists expect the ship to be overgrown with mussels, crustaceans, and various species of fish next year, a process also observed with the Pioneer ship, which sank in 2008.