50 years of diplomatic relations Bulgaria and Australia
20 July 2022 Events and Discussions
In 2022, we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Bulgaria and Australia.
This milestone is a special opportunity for both countries to look at the achievements and to deepen and broaden the bilateral relationship in the areas of policy, trade and economy, culture and people-to-people exchanges.
While diplomatic relations were officially established on April 5, 1972, the history of contacts between Bulgaria and Australia goes all the way back to the end of the 19th century, when the first Bulgarian immigrants arrived in Australia. Today, our community in Australia, reaching over 10,000 people, is the largest Bulgarian diaspora in the Asia-Pacific region. It proudly contributes to the successful development of the multicultural Australian society, while also carefully preserving its Bulgarian traditions, passing them down from generation to generation. The Bulgarian community in Australia is an important bridge connecting the two geographically distant but friendly countries with shared values and a desire for further cooperation.
A number of events and projects will mark this anniversary throughout 2022. On April 5, Canberra's iconic National Carillon on Lake Burley Griffin was illuminated with the colours of the Bulgarian flag. The Vice President of the Republic of Bulgaria H.E. Ms Iliana Yotova congratulated our compatriots in Australia on the occasion of the anniversary via video message.
The anniversary was marked during celebrations of the Bulgarian communities in Sydney, Adelaide and Melbourne. The second Bulgarian folklore festival in Australia is planned for September. A street in the Macnamara suburb in the Australian Capital Territory will be named after the Bulgarian scientist Prof. Stefan Kanev – a pioneer in the field of solar energy.
A number of official representatives from both countries have given their contribution to the friendly relations between Bulgaria and Australia. However, we cannot get a complete picture of this friendship without acknowledging the ties between Bulgarians and Australians and the stories that connect them to each other and to the country they call a second home. Therefore, on the occasion of the anniversary, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria launched the "50 stories" project, which presents a number of personal accounts of first encounters with Australia or Bulgaria, about what excites and inspires these people, about their contribution to the culture and society of the other country.
The Australian Embassy has also created a special page on its website dedicated to the anniversary. There are archive photos presenting the history of our diplomatic relations, a number of them provided by the Bulgarian News Agency.
More information can be found on this page, which is dedicated to the anniversary.
50 stories - Prof. Natalia Nikolova
50 stories - Prof. Rumen Penin
50 stories - Radost Racheva
50 stories - Alexander Popov
50 stories - Filli Ladgman
50 stories - Elena Golakova Brooks
50 stories - Duo „Zhiva Voda“
50 stories - Stefan Kozhuharov
50 stories - Bulgarian Australian Business Council
50 stories - Yavor Konstantinov
50 stories - Petko (Peter) Kopcheff
50 stories - Bulgaria and Folk Dance Canberra
Australia-Bulgaria: 50 years of Diplomatic Relations – a link to the web page of the Embassy of Australia
50 years of diplomatic relations between Bulgaria and Australia
An interview by Svetlozar Panov, Chargé d'Affaires a.i. of Bulgaria in Australia, on the occasion of the anniversary
