Young people from 19 countries are discussing within the frameworks of the 14^th edition of Winter School on Diplomacy forum a wide range of topics related to energy policy, the consequences of Brexit, migration crisis and its impact on Southeast Europe, as well as the EU perspectives of the Western Balkan countries. Representatives of all Black Sea countries, the Western Balkans, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands are attending the forum. It is organized by the Diplomatic Institute with the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and is held in the town of Sandanski (Southwest Bulgaria). The main topic of discussion is Southeast Europe and the Black Sea Region Through the Prism of Foreign Policy, Regional Security and Energy Policy in the Context of the EU and NATO. The emphasis on the North-Atlantic alliance is not laid accidentally, because NATO marks its 70^th anniversary in 2019 and Bulgaria marks 15 years since its accession to this alliance. The forum is held between March 18 and 22. Romania’s Ambassador to Bulgaria Ion Gâlea is among the lecturers at the forum. Ambassador Gâlea acquainted the participants with Romania’s priorities during its rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The Secretary General of the Permanent International Secretariat (PERMIS) of the Organization of Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) Ambassador Michael Christides presented the policy of this organization. Young diplomats met with the President of the Atlantic Club Solomon Passy, Germany’s Ambassador to Sofia Herbert Salber and the Regional Director of Hanns Seidel Foundation for Southeast Europe Klaus Fiesinger. The Director of the Diplomatic Institute Tanya Mihayliova told Radio Bulgaria details about the lecturers who are yet to take part at the forum’s programme:

Professor Ingrid Shikova from the Sofia University Saint Kliment Ohridski, Bulgaria’s former Ambassador to Hungary Biserka Benisheva, the energy policy expert Slavcho Neykov, Bulgaria’s former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and current Director of the Economics and International Relations Institute Lubomir Kyuchukov are expected to attend the forum. A wide range of lecturers presenting Bulgaria’s experience in the negotiation process and its membership to the EU and NATO also attend the forum. Our purpose is to help the countries which have not yet started EU and NATO accession talks and those who have already started accession negotiations.

Tanya Mihaylova told Radio Bulgaria why a young person would choose to make a career in the diplomacy field. In her view, this is a very difficult profession and people should be ready to start from the lowest level, in order to gain knowledge and experience and then climb the hierarchy ladder and become an ambassador. Tolerance is one the most-valuable qualities of the diplomats, because they have to communicate and work with different people from different nationalities and cultures who share different views and have different perception of the world. It is important to note that in the recent years the profession of a diplomat goes beyond the quiet negotiation on certain topics and issues, theDirector of the Diplomatic Institute Tanya Mihayliova underlined:

The time when the job of the diplomat was connected only with meetings with official representatives of other countries is gone. Today the Bulgarian diplomats abroad and the foreign diplomats in Bulgaria communicate with a much wider range of people. This is called public diplomacy. It may include all sports events, cultural festivals and activities that take diplomats out of their offices.

English version: Kostadin Atanasov