site.btaBulgarian News Agency, Academy of Interior Ministry Sign Partnership Agreement

The Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) and the Academy of the Ministry of Interior signed a partnership agreement here on Friday. The document was signed by BTA Director General Kiril Valchev and the Rector of the Academy, Assoc. Prof. Ivan Vidolov at the BTA National Press Club in Sofia.

In his speech, Valchev said that at present, BTA has agreements for permanent and systematic partnership with 43 Bulgarian universities. The Academy of the Ministry of Interior is the 44th of all 51 Bulgarian universities. "Our goal is to have such contracts with all Bulgarian universities by the end of the year. First of all, they [the contracts] regulate the systematic provision of information every week about various activities of the universities, and the activities are accompanied by copyright material, which we receive, with the possibility of being used by all Bulgarian media. Next, at BTA we organize internships. We are looking for students from more specialized universities, such as the Academy of the Ministry of Interior, who have an interest in journalism, because the Bulgarian media need more in-depth information from different areas, including the area in which the Academy works," said the BTA Director General.

He presented to the Academy Rector photos and publications from BTA's archive. "Today, on the eve of the professional holiday of the employees of the Ministry of Interior, BTA expands the circle of its partners among Bulgarian universities with the Academy of the Ministry of Interior. July 5 is celebrated as the professional holiday of the Ministry of Interior employees because on this date, with the first decree of Prince Alexander Battenberg in 1879, the Interior Ministry was established. Therefore, since 1992, July 5 is the official holiday of this Ministry's employees. This date is also associated with the beginning of training within the Ministry of Interior, because one of the departments - the police administrative department - was immediately assigned with this task," Valchev said.

Assoc. Prof. Vidolov said that for the Academy of the Ministry of Interior, the contract with BTA is extremely important. "On the one hand, because we are a university like any other and being involved in the educational process, we need  our achievements and the essence of the Academy to be represented, because this is inherently a contribution to education in general. On the other hand, we are part of the structure of the Ministry of Interior. The societal expectations and attitudes that apply to any structure also apply to us. I think that in this respect, the cooperation can contribute a lot, because the training of police officers and the attitudes that are formed by them, the creation of a clearer and more accurate picture of what professional training is and how police officers are trained, is important for building trust in society, without which it is inconceivable to have a real fight against crime," said the Rector.

Valchev noted that BTA has a tradition of covering the activities of the Academy of the Ministry of Interior, but until the establishment in 2022 of the specialized editorial office for knowledge and culture, LIK, which purposefully covers education in Bulgaria, the publications since 2016 are one or two, usually for the opening of the school year. “After 2022, the publications became more and more, with 19 publications in 2024, plus another six in English, and since the beginning of this year we already have 49 publications, which means that with the Academy we will achieve more than our set target, at least 50 publications per year,” he specified.

In response, the Academy Rector expressed his satisfaction with the joint work. "Publications and interest in the Academy is not small at all. I believe that by institutionalizing our cooperation, within the framework of the contract, it will improve and it will be in the interest of the whole society to be informed about a field that enjoys great interest. BTA has proved that it is not just an agency, but an institution that keeps memory alive and presents events objectively, which is really valuable nowadays. I believe that on the basis of the signed agreement, we will further contribute to this process," added Assoc. Prof. Vidolov.