The Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Bulgaria – HE Emma Hopkins OBE – paid a visit to Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy. Her official call at our maritime Alma Mater was part of the events dedicated to the 140 th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between the two countries and their cooperation in the area of defence.

In her visit to the Naval Academy, HE Emma Hopkins OBE was accompanied by the 16-year old schoolgirl Ivelina Ivanova, winner in the Ambassador for a Day competition, which gives a young person the opportunity to acquaint herself with the world of diplomacy and international relations.

Both ambassadors and their team were greeted by the Rector of the Academy – Flotilla Admiral Prof. Boyan Mednikarov. The visitors were briefly introduced to the activities and the mission of the Naval Academy and then toured some of the facilities on campus.

At a formal ceremony that took place at the Naval Academy at a later time, HE Hopkins OBE also presented certificates to personnel from the Bulgarian Defence Ministry and Armed Forces who had completed a training course in the structured project management method of PRINCE2 (PRojects IN Controlled Environment). Among the course graduates were also representatives of the Naval Academy.

The graduation ceremony was attended by: the Defence Minister – Mr Krasimir Karakachanov, the Mayor of Varna – Mr Ivan Portnih, the Commander of the Navy – Rear Admiral Kiril Mihaylov, the Governor of Varna Province – Mr Stoyan Pasev, Captain (N) Tim Ferns – the UK Defence Attaché, Commander Corey Jacobs – US Naval Attaché, rectors of institutes of higher education, representatives of the judicial branch, and friends and partners of the Naval Academy.