Vice President Iliana Iotova Iliana Malinova Iotovais a Bulgarian politician, 5th Vice President of the Republic of Bulgaria, will open the Eighteenth World Meeting of Bulgarian Media in Kazanlak at 9.30 am in Ivan Milev Hall in the city. The forum is organized by the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) and will continue until June 4.

The theme of this year's meeting is "Media and Freedom". There will be discussions in three panels: "The Freedom of Journalists", "The Freedom of Choice of the Audience" and "The Holidays in the Media". The first panel will also be attended by the Director General of the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) Milen Mitev.

The world meeting of Bulgarian media will be attended by journalists from 33 countries, including representatives of 40 Bulgarian media from 16 countries. Representatives of 13 Bulgarian media groups, the Union of Bulgarian Journalists, the Union of Publishers in Bulgaria, the Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication of Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski" and others will also take part in the forum.

Among the official guests of the event are the caretaker ministers of foreign affairs and education Ivan Kondov and Sasho Penov, the mayor of Kazanlak Galina Stoyanova, the poet Nayden Valchev - author of the song "A Bulgarian Rose".

The participants will attend a solemn blessing of water for prosperity on the occasion of the holiday of Kazanlak and a famous procession in memory of Hristo Botev.

It is expected that on the last day of the meeting - June 4, President Rumen Radev will address the participants.

During the meeting, the award for Bulgarian media abroad will traditionally be awarded by the National Endowment Fund "13 Centuries Bulgaria", which is awarded in recognition of the efforts of working Bulgarian journalists abroad to preserve and promote Bulgarian culture and spirit.

Iliana Iotova