Atlantic Club of Bulgaria

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The Atlantic Club of Bulgaria is a non-governmental, non-partisan organization dedicated to fostering the common values of the Euro-Atlantic community.

History

The Atlantic Club of Bulgaria was created in 1990 around the pro-

Bulgarian Parliament.[1] It was born when its founder, Solomon Passy, also the owner of a Trabant automobile, welcomed Manfred Wörner and gave him a tour of Sofia in a Trabant.[2]

Officially established on 4 April 1991, the Atlantic Club has grown to include members from all walks of life: government, academia, military, business and media. The Atlantic Club was the first Atlantic NGO outside NATO, founded on Warsaw Pact territory, and the first non-NATO member (since 1992) of the Atlantic Treaty Association (ATA).[3][4]

The Club raised the funds, and jointly with the Bulgarian Antarctic Institute, organized the resumption of Bulgaria's Antarctic activities in 1993,

Livingston Island and its redesignation as St. Kliment Ohridski Base
, as well as the construction of a new main building of the base started during the 1995/96 season.

The Atlantic Club initiated a national committee that organized the visit of Pope John Paul II to Bulgaria in 2002,[2] and also co-hosted the mass rally for U.S. President Bill Clinton who visited Sofia in 1999, and another one for US Secretary of State Colin Powell in 2003.

In 2004, Bulgaria joined NATO.[2]

After attending the Nobel Prize Ceremony in Oslo in 2012, Solomon Passy suggested that the EU should nominate Bulgaria for the Nobel Peace Prize next year. In 2013, the Club underlined the 70th anniversary of the rescue of nearly 50,000 Jews from being sent to concentration camps in Nazi Germany when the government of Tsar Boris III planned deportation of the Jewish population but it was prevented by the Holy Synod, the Bulgarian Orthodox church and civil protests.

In September 2015, the ACB sent a delegation to the Fiji after the Asian country had established diplomatic ties with Bulgaria in March 2015.[5]

In 2018, the ACB disputed the MIG-29 contracts signed between the Bulgarian government and the Russian Federation.[6]

About

The Atlantic Club of Bulgaria works to promote Bulgaria's integration with and role in the

Atlantic Alliance
, and all Euro-Atlantic political, security, economic and other structures. Within Bulgaria, the Atlantic Club serves the broader purpose of supporting democracy, human rights, free market economy and rule of law.

Initiatives

The Club's activities focus primarily on raising public awareness about security and international affairs. The list of guest speakers includes the Nobel Peace Prize Laureates Lech Wałęsa, Shimon Peres, Mikhail Gorbachev and the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet. A number of heads of states and governments have addressed the Club.

In its

NGOs
to develop strategic reports on key policy issues in the field of foreign and security policy, and defense reform and modernization.

The Club assists in the establishment of Atlantic associations in other countries of Central and Eastern Europe, and more recently in Afghanistan, Iraq, and other Asian, African and South American countries.

The Atlantic Club is a co-founder of the Bulgarian Aerospace Agency, the Bulgarian Antarctic Institute and the Economic Policy Institute, Sofia.

Organization

The Club's international board of directors includes prominent individuals from

Sarnitsa, Gabrovo, Haskovo, Plovdiv, Ruse, Varna and Yambol, and is associated with the NATO Information Center in Sofia, the Bulgarian Euro-Atlantic Youth Club, and the Manfred Wörner Foundation
.

The Founding President (1991–2001 and 2009-) and Honorary President of the Club (2001–2009) is Dr. Solomon Passy. Dr. Lyubomir Ivanov was the Chairman and CEO of the Atlantic Club in 2001-2009.

Awards

  • 1998 : Manfred Wörner Fellowship by NATO to develop a strategic study entitled NATO's Global Mission in the 21st Century.
  • Golden Award for outstanding personal contribution to promoting Atlantic values, solidarity and cooperation.
  • The
    Livingston Island
    .

Publications

Bezmer Guide
  • S. Popov et al., NATO's Global Mission in the 21st Century, Atlantic Club of Bulgaria, Sofia, 2000
  • J. Bugajski and B. Tashev eds., Early warning and policy perspectives in the Trans-Atlantic security agenda: Central and East European point of view, NI Plus Publishing House, Sofia, 2005,
    ISBN 954-90437-7-0
  • L. Ivanov and P. Pantev eds., The Joint Bulgarian-American Military Facilities: Public opinion and strategic, political, economic, and environmental aspects, NI Plus Publishing House, Sofia, 2006 (in Bulgarian)
  • L. Ivanov ed., Bulgaria: Bezmer and adjacent regions — Guide for American military, Multiprint Ltd., Sofia, 2007,
    ISBN 978-954-90437-8-5

See also

References

  1. ^ "Atlantic Club in Bulgaria Celebrated 15th Anniversary". Novinite.com. 5 April 2006. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  2. ^ a b c d "The Atlantic Club of Bulgaria turns 20". Bnr.bg. 3 August 2011. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  3. ^ "The Atlantic Club of Bulgaria associated with the Atlantic Treaty Association (ATA) as an observer". Nato.int. 30 October 1992. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  4. ISBN 9781428981737
    .
  5. ^ "Atlantic Club of Bulgaria Sends Delegation to Fiji". Bta.bg. 1 September 2015. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  6. ^ "Bulgaria Will Pay the First Instalment for Repair of the MiG-29s. The Atlantic Council Disputes the Signed Contract". Bulgarianmilitary.com. 25 April 2018. Retrieved 5 June 2018.

External links

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