| Министерство на външните работи Ministerstvo na Vanšnite Raboti | |
 Ministerial insignia | |
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 Ministry of Foreign Affairs building inSofia | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 5 July 1879 (1879-07-05) |
| Jurisdiction | Government of Bulgaria |
| Headquarters | Sofia, 2 Alexander Zhendov Str |
| Agency executive | |
| Website | www |
TheMinistry of Foreign Affairs (Bulgarian:Министерство на външните работи,romanized: Ministerstvo na Vanšnite raboti, abbreviatedМВнР, orMVnR[1]) ofBulgaria is theministry charged with overseeing theforeign relations of Bulgaria. The seat of the ministry is located at 2 Alexander Zhendov Str in the capitalSofia. It has been in existence since shortly after theLiberation of Bulgaria, with the first minister stepping into office on 17 July 1879. The institution was among the first six ministries of thereestablished Bulgarian state. Until 1947, it was known as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Religious Denominations. TheMinister of Foreign Affairs is a member of theGovernment of Bulgaria, also known as the Council of Ministers. The current officeholderGeorg Georgiev was appointed in January 2025.[2]
The ministry maintains the diplomatic and consular relations of Bulgaria with other countries and international organisations, operates thediplomatic missions of Bulgaria and supervises the implementation of the international legal obligations of the country. It protects the rights and interests of the Bulgarian state and citizens oversees and undertakes diplomatic actions to protect the Bulgarian cultural and historical heritage abroad.[3] It also guides the Bulgarian international development aid programme.[4]
Following theRusso-Turkish War of 1877–1878 and theLiberation of Bulgaria, in 1878 the interimProvisional Russian Administration in Bulgaria established the Office for General Affairs and Diplomatic Relations. After the adoption of theTarnovo Constitution, on 25 May 1879 it was renamed the Department of Foreign Affairs. In accordance with article 161 of the Constitution, with a Decree published on 17 July 1879 the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Religious Denominations was formally established as a central state institution for organising, directing and conducting the foreign policy of Bulgaria through diplomatic missions oversees.[5]Marko Balabanov was appointed as the first Minister of Foreign Affairs by PrinceAlexander of Battenberg. On 19 July 1879 the Prince appointed the first diplomatic representatives abroad —Dragan Tsankov inIstanbul, theOttoman Empire,Evlogi Georgiev inBucharest, theKingdom of Romania, and Dimitar Kirovich inBelgrade, thePrincipality of Serbia.[5]
The first Regulations for the Organisation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Religious Denominations were published in 1897. In 1903 was adopted the Law on Organization and Service, which defined the structure of the institution that included Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Political Department, Archive and Library, Consular Department, Religions Denominations Department, Bulgarian Telegraph Agency and Accounting.[5] That structure remained in force with little changes until the organisation was renamed as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs following theDimitrov Constitution of 1947 and the establishment of thePeople's Republic of Bulgaria.[5] In 2007 theNational Assembly adopted the Law on the Diplomatic Service, which regulates the principles, organisation and activity of the diplomatic service, as well as the rules for the professional development of diplomatic servicemen.[5]
The institution is headed by theMinister of Foreign Affairs, and consists of the Political Cabinet, special administration and general administration, as well as inspectorate and internal audit.[6] The Political Cabinet includes the Deputy Ministers of Foreign Affairs, the Head of the Cabinet, the Speaker, the Parliamentary Secretary and advisors. The special administration is coordinated by a Permanent Secretary and consists of four general directorates and a number of specialised directorates, covering the bilateral relations, international cooperation, EU policy, security policy, foreign economic relations, international development, human rights, consular relations, crisis management, international law, state protocol, foreign policy planning, press, etc.[6] The general administration is coordinated by a Secretary General and includes the directorates responsible for human resources, budget and finance, property management, material and technical support, security and IT.[6]
Since 1983 the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been based in a purpose-built edifice in the district ofSlatina east of the Sofia city center, situated at 2 Alexander Zhendov Str. It lies just northeast of the city's largest boulevardTsarigradsko shose and its oldest parkBorisova gradina. The competition for the building design was held in 1970 and was awarded to the Sofproekt architect bureau under the architects Bogdan Tomalevski and Lozan Lozanov.[7] The planning and design phase took until 1974–1975. Construction began in 1975 and continued until 1983.[7][8]
Several distinct techniques give the characteristic image and impact of the building — the successivebay window elevation of the structure, the finer division in height, the rhythm of the structural elements and the prominent decorative columns around the window openings. Its architecture was inspired by theBoston City Hall, which is considered a prominent example ofBrutalist architecture.[7] Yet, the building does not fully belong to the flowing open public spaces and egalitarian architecture of post-war Brutalism. Rather, it is aneclectic structure that bears the marks of all the decades in which it was designed, built and completed — the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.[7][8] In the formal spaces in the interior, the dark marble and brass details bear similarities with the decoration style of the representativeSofia Largo of the 1950s. Formally, the architectural image repeats characteristic patterns of the post-war modernism of the 1960s but the finishing works and stone cladding bear the high level of demonstrative luxury accepted as the norm in the buildings of the power of thePeople's Republic of Bulgaria at the time, such as theBoyana Рesidence. The synthesis of architecture with other arts are characteristic of the cultural policies of the second half of the 1970s and throughout the 1980s, as many of the architects, designers and decorators also worked in a number of the most representative contemporary architectural sites of Bulgaria, including the remarkableBuzludzha monument in theBalkan Mountains.[7] Elements of its architecture inspired other public buildings throughout the nation, including in the cities ofVidin,Ruse,Burgas,Pazardzhik andTroyan.[7]
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