Velislava Petrova
Head of the Bulgarian Delegation to the IHRA
Member country since: 2018
Angel Bandjov (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) – Deputy Head of Delegation
Rositsa Ivanova (National Council for Cooperation on Ethnic and Integration Issues)
Evgeniya Kostadinova (Ministry of Education and Science) – Education Working Group
Clive Leviev - Sawyer (The Shalom Organization of the Jews in Bulgaria) - Museums and Memorials Working Group
Rumyana Marinova – Christidi (Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski) – Education Working Group
Albena Taneva (Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski) – Academic Working Group
Liubomir Nikolov (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) - Museums and Memorials Working Group
Radostina Nikolova (Ministry of Education and Science) – Education Working Group
We are happy and gratified that Bulgaria proudly assumes its well deserved place on the map of the nations and communities that are dedicated to upholding the commitments of the Stockholm Declaration and working together to safeguard the historical record. Accession as a full member is not the end of the road but just another starting point. We still need – as a society and state - to come to terms with the events during the Holocaust that are now still seen by many as uncomfortable. Nations and societies that have successfully dealt with the past can face the present and the future with confidence and self-esteem. We are particularly proud that Bulgaria has adopted the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism and has appointed a national coordinator on combatting antisemitism. We also recognize the efforts of the Bulgarian EU Presidency towards making IHRA’s agenda more visible among the EU institutions and membership.