Balgarianovinite.com Taking part in a Question Time session in Parliament on Friday, Culture Minister Evtim Miloshev said that his Ministry is aware of the high historical value of the archive about the Bulgarian diaspora in North America and Ilia Gadjev’s role in preserving it and making it available to the Bulgarian academic community. Miloshev took a question from Aylin Nuridin MP of Continue the Change regarding measures to safeguard the archive of the Dr. Ilia Todorov Gadjev Institute for the History of the Bulgarian Emigration in North America in the southwestern town of Gotse Delchev. Gadjev founded the Institute in Detroit, Michigan, in the 1970s and later established its Bulgarian branch in Gotse Delchev by constructing a purpose-built facility and transferring the archive there, providing Bulgarian society with a valuable collection of historical documents for research and public use, the Minister noted.
Miloshev said that in recent years the government had held discussions with Theodore Gadjev and reached a preliminary agreement, before his unexpected death, for the State to purchase the Institute’s building, archive, library collection and museum holdings. Experts from several state institutions participated in inspecting, cataloguing, assessing and identifying the archive’s materials. Following the acquisition, the archive was intended to be managed by professionals and made fully accessible to researchers. Following his passing, the talks now have to continue with his heirs, who have also expressed their agreement in principle to finalize the negotiations and transfer ownership of the archive to the Bulgarian State, Miloshev said.
The Culture Ministry plans to secure funding after updating the archive’s valuation and work with the Foreign Ministry to establish contact with the heirs. So far, the Culture Ministry has sought the assistance of the Interior Ministry and the Gotse Delchev municipality to ensure the security of the property and the archive. The Archives State Agency and the local authorities have also been kept informed of developments.
Miloshev called on all parliamentary groups to support the effort, adding that the archive could also be considered an asset of national security, as it contains documents and historical evidence related to Bulgaria’s historical development, international relations and cultural heritage. The archive includes irreplaceable documents, rare publications, photographs and artifacts documenting the history of the Bulgarian diaspora in North America, the preservation of Bulgarian national identity abroad, and the participation of Bulgarians in key social and political developments, the Minister noted. The significance of these materials extends far beyond their monetary value and reaches into the realm of national memory and identity, he said, adding that the building and its contents are secure.
Completing the acquisition of the archive before the conclusion of inheritance proceedings was a particularly sensitive matter and was being handled at the highest level of government, Nuridin said. The process is being coordinated directly by Deputy Prime Minister Ivo Hristov, and the necessary consultations and negotiations with the interested parties are currently under way, the MP added. She noted that if the negotiations conclude successfully and the necessary factual and legal preconditions are met, the government would take the appropriate steps to provide targeted funding and safeguard the public interest. Culture Ministry Aware of High Historical Value of Archive of Bulgarian Diaspora in North America – Minister Miloshev 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-06-26 17:09:38 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law