site.btaBulgaria Marks Diplomatic Service Day

Bulgaria marks Diplomatic Service Day on Sunday commemorating the establishment of the country's first foreign policy administration by Decree No. 1 of Prince Alexander I of Battenberg on July 19, 1879, the Foreign Ministry said on its website.

Since then, Bulgarian diplomacy has consistently defended the country's national interests and contributed to establishing Bulgaria as a respected member of the international community, the Ministry said.

Over the past 146 years, Bulgarian diplomats have worked to strengthen the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity, secure Bulgaria's accession to key international organizations and initiatives, build relations of friendship and cooperation with countries around the world, and assist Bulgarian citizens and communities abroad.

July 19 was officially designated as Bulgarian Diplomatic Service Day by then Foreign Minister Nadezhda Mihaylova through a resolution dated April 21, 1999.

Bulgaria's first diplomatic agents were Dragan Tsankov, Evlogi Georgiev and Dimitar Kirov, while Konstantin Stoilov was appointed to St Petersburg in 1883.

Following the Unification of Bulgaria in 1885, Grigor Nachovich was appointed to Vienna, Petar Dimitrov to Athens, Ivan Geshov to Paris and Spas Konstantinov to Cetinje.

Under the Regulations on the Organization of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Religious Denominations, approved by Prince Ferdinand on December 14, 1897, Bulgaria's first-class diplomatic agencies were those in Istanbul, Vienna, St Petersburg and Paris, while second-class agencies were established in Bucharest, Belgrade, Athens and Cetinje.

Until Bulgaria proclaimed its independence in 1908, Bulgarian representatives abroad were known as diplomatic agents, while foreign representatives in Bulgaria held the titles of diplomatic agents or consuls general. Following the declaration of independence and its recognition by the Great Powers, Bulgarian representatives abroad and foreign representatives in Bulgaria became envoys extraordinary and ministers plenipotentiary.

By decree of Tsar Ferdinand on May 21, 1909, Bulgaria's diplomatic missions abroad were redesignated as legations. Following the signing of the Paris Peace Treaty in 1947, diplomatic representatives were given the title of ambassadors extraordinary and plenipotentiary, while legations became embassies.

On the eve of the Second World War, Bulgaria maintained diplomatic relations with 32 countries. By 1979, the number had risen to 109, and by 1993 to 142.

Modern diplomatic relations are governed by the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, ratified by Bulgaria on October 19, 1967, and the 1963 Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, ratified on May 25, 1989.