24.10.2025
The Diplomatic Institute under the Minister of Foreign Affairs held a specialized “Forum on the Development Policy of the Republic of Bulgaria in the Fields of Energy, Economy, and Climate”, which took place on October 23, 2025, at the Federation of Scientific and Technical Unions in Sofia.
The event brought together 38 experts, including representatives of the diplomatic corps from 11 different countries, among them those from Bulgaria’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) target regions — the Black Sea Region, the Eastern Partnership, and the Western Balkans.
A special guest of the forum was H.E. Emil Jacota, Ambassador of the Republic of Moldova to Bulgaria. Participants also included experts from state administration, bilateral chambers of commerce, professional associations, academia, and the non-governmental sector.
The forum was opened by Mrs. Tanya Mihaylova, Director of the Diplomatic Institute, and Mr. Slavcho Neykov, energy expert and member of the Institute’s National Advisory Council.
In the first panel, dedicated to “Official Development Assistance as a Tool of Bulgaria’s Foreign Policy”, the keynote address was delivered by Ms. Ivanka Tasheva, Director of the Foreign Economic Relations and Development Cooperation Directorate at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She presented the priorities, goals, and outcomes of Bulgaria’s ODA policy.
Other speakers included Assoc. Prof. Dr. Atanas Georgiev, Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, and Mr. Asen Zahariev, Head of the International Cooperation Department at the Public Relations, Protocol and International Cooperation Directorate of the Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Bulgaria.
Assoc. Prof. Georgiev presented the role of Sofia University and the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration in processes related to energy and industrial decarbonization, as well as data from ongoing projects of the Net-Zero Lab. He emphasized that for 20 years, the Faculty has offered master’s and doctoral programs in energy, along with applied research focused on the energy sector.
The second panel, titled “Energy and Climate Diplomacy: Contemporary Political and Geostrategic Aspects”, featured presentations by Ambassador Petar Popchev, Executive Director of the Net Zero Foundation, Mr. Plamen Dimitrov from the Bulgarian Geopolitical Association, and Mr. Yordan Stoichkov, Head of the Training, Research and Project Activities Department at the Diplomatic Institute.
The main goal of the forum was to present Bulgaria as a consistent and reliable partner in international efforts toward sustainable development, energy security, poverty reduction, and combating climate change, as well as to promote economic relations with the countries of the Western Balkans and the Black Sea region.
