Blagoevgrad, Southwestern Bulgaria, February 12 (BTA) - The Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) Saturday opened a National Press Club in Blagoevgrad on the day the town marks the 144th anniversary of its initial liberation from Ottoman rule.

The event at the historical Kalupchiev House was attended by Evlogi, Bishop of Adrianople and abbot of Rila monastery, who consecrated the club together with Seraphym, Metropolitan of Nevrokop. There were also representative of state and local authorities, cultural figures and friends of BTA.

"This is a belated opening of a BTA National Press Club in Blagoevgrad, just as the complete liberation of this city was late and came only in the First Balkan War in 1912," BTA Director General Kiril Valchev said at the opening.

Valchev said it had been easy to provide the premises with the help of the previous regional governor, Nikolai Shoushkov, and thanked the incumbent Blagoevgrad Regional Governor Valeri Sarandev for continuing with the support. Since the BTA Press Club in Blagoevgrad is the largest, efforts should be made to develop it as a place for events not only in the vicinity, but for friends and colleagues across the entire geographical region of Macedonia, he added. The Kalupchiev House can also store BTA archives.

Kiril Valchev thanked the Mayor of Blagoevgrad Municipality, Ilko Stoyanov, and the Chairman of the Municipal Council for providing BTA a home in the town. The contract for its free use by the news agency was signed at the end of 2021.

Remarking on the fact that the day commemorated those who died for freedom, Valchev also recalled the names of BTA correspondents from Blagoevgrad who had worked over the past 70 years. Desislava Velkova is currently the agency's local correspondent and soon there will be a photo reporter for the region.

Mayor Ilko Stoyanov and Regional Governor Valeri Sarandev also addressed the assembly.

The ceremony was accompanied with typical folk songs and music performed by the Veselina folklore group at the Blagoevgrad Creative Development Centre.

Valchev, Sarandev, Stoyanov and Shoushkov cut the ribbon of the new press club together.

The press club in Blagoevgrad is BTA's 22nd and the seventh to open in just a year, Valchev pointed out. Fifteen press clubs opened in the past 17 years, the one in Blagoevgrad being the 19th in this country.

BTA has three press clubs outside Bulgaria. The first one was inaugurated in Bosilegrad (Serbia) on December 11, 2015, the second in Taraklia (Moldova) on October 5, 2017, and the third in Skopje (North Macedonia) on February 4, 2022.

After the official opening, the guests viewed the first exhibition laid out at the Kalupchiev House. On display are photos related to Blagoevgrad region from the BTA archives. The oldest photo dates from 1952./BR/BR

Source: Blagoevgrad