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University Vice President Yani Yanev and Rector Prof. Petar Hristov Participate in International Forum on “The Black Sea and Eastern Europe: Key to European Security”
15 October 2026
University Vice President Yani Yanev and Rector Prof. Petar Hristov participated in the international forum “The Black Sea and Eastern Europe: Key to European Security.” The forum took place on October 12th, 2026, at the Grand Hotel Sofia, under the patronage of the President of the Republic of Bulgaria, Iliana Yotova. Mr. Yanev and Prof. Hristov attended at the personal invitation of the organizers, the European League for Economic Cooperation (ELEC) and the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. The forum marked the 80th anniversary of the League’s founding.
President Iliana Yotova opened the conference, identifying the guarantee of free and safe navigation in the Black Sea as the first and foremost priority. She emphasized the region’s importance to national, European, and global security and presented Bulgaria’s proposal for a European framework mechanism for security and safe navigation.
During the panel “The Economic and Legal Dimensions of Security,” Yani Yanev highlighted the opportunities for Northeastern Bulgaria to assume a significant role in European transport and economic networks. In his view, this requires projects that harness the region’s potential and establish shared interests with neighboring countries. Mr. Yanev also emphasized the need for an appropriate legal framework to implement such projects, including the adoption of a new law on public-private partnerships.
His first proposal was to explore a new route for a Danube-Black Sea waterway connection, running from Tutrakan to Varna. Yanev discussed the idea in relation to Romania’s Bucharest-Danube Canal project and the potential to shorten transport routes. He stressed that a shared economic interest between Bulgaria and Romania would be essential to developing such a project, which would require detailed feasibility studies and planning.
The second priority was the development of an industrial and logistics zone within Aksakovo Municipality. Yanev linked its potential to the need for Bulgarian ports to play a more active role in trade routes between East and West, as well as in providing future transport, food supply, and logistics support for Ukraine’s reconstruction.
In this context, he discussed the Black Sea Motorway as part of a broader coastal transport network. According to Yanev, the development of roads, ports, and industrial zones should be planned in a coordinated manner to attract investment and create long-term opportunities for the region.
The third proposal focused on the cultural and historical heritage of Northeastern Bulgaria. Yanev presented the idea of bringing together the archaeological sites near Durankulak, the Varna Chalcolithic Necropolis I, and Provadia-Solnitsata in a joint European project dedicated to the early stages of civilization. The aim is to link the preservation and presentation of this heritage with the development of cultural tourism and greater international recognition of the region. He emphasized the need for coordinated action and preparations to secure European funding.
The proposed projects were presented in the context of the economic and financial dimensions of security, as well as the development of transcontinental transport links between Asia and Europe, outlined by Prof. Branimir Botev, Vice President of ELEC International and President of ELEC Bulgaria, in his opening remarks for the panel discussion.
Official guests and participants included Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, Prime Minister of Bulgaria from 2001 to 2005; Minister of Defence Dimitar Stoyanov; and Minister of Interior Ivan Demerdzhiev.
Following the conference, Yani Yanev and Prof. Dr. Petar Hristov held productive meetings with participants and guests of the forum.
