Acting Minister of Defense Atanas Zapryanov and the Chief of Defense Admiral Emil Eftimov will take part in the solemn celebration of the 145th anniversary of the establishment of the Bulgarian Navy. This was announced by the press center of the Ministry of Defense (MoD), BTA reported.
A solemn meeting-concert dedicated to the Navy holiday will begin at 6:00 p.m. today at the Festival and Congress Center in the city of Varna. The celebration will be opened by the Commander of the Naval Forces Rear Admiral Kiril Mihailov. Minister Atanas Zapryanov and Admiral Emil Eftimov will congratulate the personnel of the Navy and will award servicemen and civilian employees who distinguished themselves with professional and responsible performance of their duties during the year.
From 9:30 a.m. at the Higher Naval School “N. J. Vaptsarov“ a ceremony will be held to award the diplomas to the students of the “Graduation of 2024”. 503 students will receive their diplomas for completed higher education. They will be greeted on behalf of the Minister of Defense by the Director of the Directorate “Management of Human Resources in Defense“ Lyudmil Mihailov.
The ritual, with which the flags of the ships of the Navy will be solemnly raised, will begin at Varna Naval Station tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. Traditionally, the culmination of the celebrations on the occasion of the creation of the Navy coincides with the solemn ceremony of assigning the first officer rank of the cadets from “Graduation 2024“ “King Simeon the Great“ of the Higher Naval School (VVMU), which will start at 9:15 a.m. at the Naval Station. This year, 31 cadets will receive officer epaulettes. Top of the class with a grade of “Excellent - 5.92“ is midshipman Rafael Kanev from the specialty "Organization and management of military formations at the tactical level", specialization "Ship engines and mechanisms". Minister Atanas Zapryanov, Admiral Emil Eftimov and the head of the Military Academy of Military Academy Fleet Admiral Professor D.V.Sc. Boyan Mednikarov will congratulate the young officers on their entry into service in our navy.
On the occasion of the 145th anniversary of the establishment of the Navy, residents and guests of Varna and Burgas will be able to view ships and equipment in service with the Navy today from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the sea stations in Varna and Burgas, and tomorrow from 10:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at Varna Marine Station and from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at Burgas Marine Station.
On Sunday, the residents and guests of the city of Varna will be able to attend the dynamic display of abilities of military personnel from the special forces of the Navy together with crews of ships and helicopters. They will start at 11:30 a.m. on the Central Beach in the city of Varna and will be watched by Minister Zapryanov and Admiral Eftimov. Demonstrations include high-speed maneuvers on high-speed motorboats, landing of paratroopers and presentation of combat skills by servicemen, according to the Ministry of Defense.
BTA recalls that the celebrations on the occasion of the 145th anniversary of the Navy in Varna began yesterday with the awarding of more than 50 sailors and civilian employees. Traditionally, the ceremony was held in the Admiralty building. In addition to the commander of the military fleet, rear admiral Kiril Mihailov, regional governor Andriyana Andreeva and mayor Blagomir Kotsev presented awards. The commander recalled that the beginning of the Bulgarian Navy was set on August 12, 1879 with the creation of the Danube Flotilla. For every country, access to the sea is a value and a blessing, which must be used wisely, Mihailov pointed out. He emphasized that the main task of the Navy is to defend the motherland and they have always handled it with dignity and honor.
With a military ritual and the laying of wreaths and flowers in front of the Sailor's Monument in Ruse, the Naval Forces of the Republic of Bulgaria celebrated the 145th anniversary of its establishment on August 5. “This is where Bulgarian seafaring began” reads the inscription on the monument, therefore every year traditionally the celebrations for the founding of the Navy start from Ruse.