Today, on July 7, a bilateral agreement on scientific cooperation between two countries, Russia and Bulgaria, has been signed in the building of the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The ceremony was attended by president of the Russian Academy of Sciences, RAS academician, Alexander Sergeev, chairman of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, academician Julian Revalsky, as well as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Bulgaria Eleonora Mitrofanova and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Bulgaria in the Russian Federation Atanas Krystin. The ceremony was moderated by Vice President of RAS, RAS academician Yuri Balega.
The document concerns cooperation in matters of science, research and technology with a fundamentally new degree of collaboration between scientists of both countries. Both academies of sciences have agreed that by the end of the year they will approve the respective roadmap for implementing the agreement. Collaboration will be organized in the fields of mathematics, biology, chemistry and materials sciences, Earth sciences, basic space research, energy and mechanical engineering, medicine, history and philology, as well as the implementation of exchange programs.
According to the head of the RAS, the agreement is a landmark event for both countries and will improve close interaction between academies of sciences. «“Today is a serious event in the life of the Russian Academy of Sciences. 142 years ago, diplomatic relations between Russia and Bulgaria were established. We commemorate this by signing an agreement on cooperation between the two academies of sciences in the presence of the top-rank diplomats.
In the face of serious geopolitical confrontation, we are launching a scientific project that will provide an impetus toward rapprochement rather than divorce between our countries. In a sense, it is an act of scientific diplomacy, when science uses its own tools and cooperation incentives to help countries maintain and expand their contacts.
Objectives defined by the global agenda and our cooperation should contribute not only to bilateral relations between academies of sciences, but also to those between the states. In the coming months we will have to draw up a specific roadmap for our cooperation that will definitely reiterate these points and lay out the course of collaboration in green energy.
Bulgaria is a very strong player when it comes to developing various information technologies. Here we consider digitalization as a scientific and technical trend. This is definitely an area where cooperation will also be present,” said the Alexander Sergeev, the President of the RAS.
The chairman of the Bulgarian academy of Sciences, Academician Julian Revalsky noted the importance of signing the agreement cooperation in matters of science, research and technology in 2021 – the Year of Science and Technology in the Russian Federation. “This is not the first agreement between the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and the Russian Academy of Sciences. We have a difficult work ahead but we believe in expanding and resuming cooperation in scientific fields, including the field of fundamental space research,” said Julian Revalsky.
After the signing ceremony, a working meeting was held between President of RAS Alexander Mikhailovich Sergeev and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Bulgaria to the Russian Federation Atanas Krystin.
The information is provided by the International Cooperation Administration of RAS.
