AUBG Welcomes Ambassadors and High Officials on Campus
Several ambassadors to Bulgaria visited campus as part of Ambassadors Day Feb. 12, 2020. Renewing its long-standing tradition to bring together ambassadors and high officials from countries near and far, AUBG welcomed U.S. Ambassador H.E. Herro Mustafa, Albanian Ambassador H.E. Donika Hoxha, Croatian Ambassador H.E. Jasna Ognjanovac, Georgian Ambassador H. E. Tamara Liluashvili, Greek Ambassador H.E. Dimitrios Chronopoulos, Ambassador of Kosovo H. E. Edon Cana, Ambassador of Azerbaijan H.E. Nargis Gurbanova, Deputy Head of Mission of Morocco Mr. Moncif Cherkaoui-Jaouad and Adviser of Education of the Embassy of Spain Mr. Ángel Santamaría Barnola.
During their one-day stay on campus, the officials met with students from their countries, participated in round table discussions and toured the campus. AUBG Interim President Dr. David Evans welcomed the ambassadors during the official lunch at the America for Bulgaria Student Center.
“We currently have about 1,000 young people coming from nearly 40 countries on campus,” Evans said. “These young people will go on to become some of the world’s accomplished politicians, journalists, businesspersons, experts and academics. Now that they are at the beginning of their professional journeys, they are looking up to people like you for an example of what it means to be a leader. This is why I would like to thank you for being here and for your willingness to take part in an open conversation with our students.”
The ambassadors’ visit coincided with the AUBG International Week – the biggest event on campus to celebrate diversity through country presentations, film screenings, traditional dances, a taste fest and a talent show. “During International Week, each student is an ambassador of their home country,” Evans said in his address to the ambassadors. “International Week is one of the most significant AUBG events and the fact that you are here precisely this week makes the celebrations even more special for us.”
At 4 p.m. the AUBG community headed to the Balkanski Academic Center for a talk by H.E. Herro Mustafa. Her thought-provoking speech on the topic of “Speaking Up and Stepping Up” was part of the Ambassador Elena Poptodorova Distinguished Lecturers Series that brings prominent speakers on campus since 2009. Poptodorova, who served as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Bulgaria to the United States of America and spent many years on the AUBG Board of Trustees, was there to welcome the U.S. Ambassador.
Later the same day, Croatian Ambassador H.E. Jasna Ognjanovac spoke about the priorities of the ongoing Croatian Presidency of the Council of the EU. AUBG Professor in Politics and European Studies Jean Crombois facilitated the event at Panitza Library.