Bulgarian Diplomatic Review and Bulgarian Bestseller – NMBBP Publishing House marked their fourth anniversary with a pleasant surprise for their friends and readers. On December 19, 2005 in the Ceremonial Hall of St. Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia they presented History of the Diplomatic Relations of Bulgaria – a work of many years that inlayed this precious pearl in the crown of wonderful editions. That is why the publisher and editor-in-chief of the magazine Mrs. Juliana Tomova with special excitement bid welcome to the guests at the launch. The celebration, organized with the cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria, was attended by the Vice Premier and Foreign Minister Ivailo Kalfin, MPs, ambassadors, scholars, representatives of different ministries and other institutions.

The author of the book Maria Mateeva, an officer at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of long-standing, examined, collected and left to us an extraordinary heritage. She has written two documentary studies on Bulgaria's diplomatic and consular relations in 1878–1989. She also authored the book “The events in Central and Eastern Europe in 1985-1997”.

Petar Konstantinov, who is also a Foreign Ministry officer, former ambassador, continued the work, updated the information and completed it.

The edition became possible thanks to the cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the General Department of Archives with the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Bulgaria, as well as the foreign diplomatic missions in Bulgaria.

“The Bulgarian diplomats deserve this book, they deserve this acknowledgment,” Minister Kalfin said from the tribune in the Ceremonial Hall. He noted the significance of the book, which traces out the diplomatic relations of the Bulgarian state through its existence. And he stated that this book is not only for the diplomatic circles but for the entire Bulgarian public that will no doubt judge it on its merits. In the special preface to the book, Minister Kalfin explains his motivation.

“In order to take the challenge and dedicate yourself to the history of the establishment of the institution of the Bulgarian diplomatic service – from its foundation to its contemporary structure, first of all you need to truly respect and love your national history, to believe that it cannot be truly written and read without the history of the diplomatic relations.

In my capacity of Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria, I have the privilege of congratulating from the pages of this magnificent edition its authors and all readers, who are tempted to learn the facts of the historical trajectory of the formation of the Bulgarian diplomatic institution. With all due respect of a representative of the modern Bulgarian generation, which is indebted to our ancestors – the Bulgarian statesmen – who have raised and strengthened Bulgaria among its close and distant neighbors and partners much more than the bloodsheds of the wars, I am extremely happy with the appearance of this work, which I would call an event not only in Bulgarian historiography and historical science, but also in the Bulgarian public and cultural life.

Publisher Juliana Tomova, Prof. Dr. Georgi Bakalov, Vice Rector of Sofia University, Mr. Iavailo Kalfin, Vice-PM and Foreign Minister, Mr. Peter Konstantinov, editor of the book, and Prof. Andrei Pantev

In the perspective of what has been achieved today, when Bulgaria is regarded as a certain member of the European Union, the diplomatic battles, the ‘silent front' wars during the 1300-years-long Bulgarian history can be fully appreciated, and judged by their merits, only in their continuity. Behind every name of a Bulgarian ambassador or representative of a Bulgarian diplomatic mission stands not only their professional fate but also the fate of their Fatherland, of Bulgaria.

We, the Bulgarians, often forget our historical memory, we assign secondary importance to it, we look for models and examples outside; we look at ourselves not in our own mirror but in other people's mirrors. After all, Bulgaria, despite the hard road it has yet to cover, has a lot of things to be proud of. Therefore people such as the author of the encyclopedic collection Maria Mateeva and her colleagues and followers should be rendered their due and their enormous effort, which requires patriotism above all, should be highly prized.”