The 21st World Meeting of Bulgarian Media opened in Budapest on October 19, a day rich in symbolism and marking Bulgarian-Hungarian Friendship Day, Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) Deputy Director General Evgenia Drumeva said in her welcoming remarks at the official opening ceremony at the Bulgarian Cultural Institute in the Hungarian capital.
Drumeva recalled that ten years ago, the Bulgarian National Assembly and the Hungarian Parliament adopted resolutions designating October 19 as Bulgarian-Hungarian Friendship Day.
“In more recent history, we associate Bulgarian-Hungarian ties with Bulgarian market gardeners who came to work in Hungary and gradually settled here, bringing with them their love for the land they cultivated. However, relations between our two peoples go back much further,” Drumeva said.
She explained that October 19 was chosen because the Bulgarian Orthodox Church celebrates St John of Rila the Miracle Worker on that date, the heavenly patron of the Bulgarian people. The decision was adopted unanimously by the Bulgarian National Assembly. During his visit to Hungary in May 2016, Bulgarian Patriarch Neophyte also voiced his satisfaction with the initiative.
Drumeva announced that, for the 2026 World Meeting, BTA had published a Hungarian-language edition of its LIK magazine dedicated to St John of Rila.
She also highlighted several other anniversaries connected with the Bulgarian community in Hungary. “This year marks the 110th anniversary of the establishment of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church community in the Hungarian capital and the 95th anniversary of the laying of the foundation stone of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church of Saints Cyril and Methodius in Budapest. Earlier, in 1914, the association of Bulgarians in Hungary was established — the country’s oldest continuously operating civil organisation representing an ethnic minority,” she said.
According to Drumeva, participants in the 21st World Meeting of Bulgarian Media come from 25 countries, the same number represented at last year’s 20th edition.
“The meeting will bring together 47 journalists from 32 Bulgarian-language media outlets around the world, as well as representatives of two media associations and five media outlets from Bulgaria. Participants will also include BTA correspondents from the Balkan countries, Brussels, the Netherlands and Austria, as well as from Bosilegrad in Serbia, Odesa in Ukraine and Taraclia in Moldova. BTA has correspondents in these locations because of their large ethnic Bulgarian communities. Some participants will join the discussions online,” Drumeva said.
She recalled that the theme of the 2026 meeting is Media and Leaders, which, she said, offers broad scope for interpretation and discussion. The topic is particularly relevant amid digital transformation and the growing influence of algorithms and artificial intelligence. “Once described as the fourth estate, the media served as intermediaries in society years ago. They brought people together, provided a platform for public debate and reported on the activities of political, spiritual and civic figures and leaders. They also acted as a corrective force. Above all, however, they bore responsibility, editorial responsibility, as so-called traditional media continue to do today,” Drumeva said.
The Monday programme of the 21st World Meeting of Bulgarian Media began at 9 a.m. with a meeting between participants and Marton Hajdu, Chair of the Hungarian Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee.
The participants were subsequently given the opportunity to tour the parliament building, including its ceremonial staircase, and view the Holy Crown of Hungary. The delegation was welcomed by Zoltan Tar, Hungary’s Minister of Public Relations and Culture, who received a plaque bearing the image of St John of Rila as a gift.
The programme continued with the opening of an exhibition dedicated to Bulgarian-Hungarian Friendship Day in the foyer of the Barankovics building, an office building for members of the Hungarian Parliament.
BTA is organizing the 21st World Meeting of Bulgarian Media in Hungary with the support of DSK Bank, OTP Group, Aurubis Bulgaria, A1, SOF Connect – the operator of Vasil Levski Sofia Airport, Geotechmin, Postbank and the 13 Centuries Bulgaria National Endowment Fund. The forum is expected to bring together participants from 25 countries, both in person and online.
21st World Meeting of Bulgarian Media Opens in Budapest THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-10-19 19:05:00
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