President of Bulgaria Iliana Iotova, during her trip to Armenia for the 8th European Political Community Summit, visited on Sunday in Yerevan the No. 131 school named after the renowned Bulgarian poet Peyo Yavorov.
The President’s delegation included Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) Director General Kiril Valchev, who was accompanied by Armenpress News Agency Director Narine Nazaryan.
The two agencies have a long history of cooperation, which began in 2004 and was revitalized in 2022 with the signing of a new agreement in Sofia.
The Bulgarian high-level delegation was welcomed by school students, who performed Bulgarian songs and dances. They performed the patriotic song Moya Bulgaria (My Bulgaria) and danced a traditional Bulgarian folk dance.
Mariam Voskanian, Deputy Director for Extracurricular and After-School Activities at Peyo Yavorov School, emphasized that the centuries-old friendship between the Armenian and Bulgarian peoples has withstood the test of time, and that one of its sincere chroniclers was the great Bulgarian poet Peyo Yavorov, whose work “The Armenians”reflects the tragic history of the Armenian people during the Hamidian massacres.
“In 1966, grateful Armenians named School No. 131 after Peyo Yavorov, and since that day our educational institution has also become an important link in the bridge of Armenian-Bulgarian friendship. The school approaches this mission with honor and responsibility, presenting the ‘Peyo Yavorov’ Armenian-Bulgarian Friendship Museum, as well as Bulgarian culture, language, song, and dance to visiting delegations, including during extracurricular events,” said Mariam Voskanian. She also stressed that they are grateful to the Government of Bulgaria for its attention to the school and its effective support.
She added that they maintain very warm relations with the Embassy of Bulgaria in Armenia and hope that this close friendship will continue permanently.
Bulgarian President Iliana Iotova said she felt deeply moved when she saw the statue of Peyo Yavorov near the school.
She described it as inspiring that Peyo Yavorov, through works such as “The Armenians” and others, expressed his support for the Armenian people.
“I do not know another poet who has written about Armenia with such warmth and who has presented the history of Armenia in such an emotional way,” President Iotova noted.
The President also highlighted the importance of developing friendly relations between the two countries, pointing out that five Armenian schools currently operate in Bulgaria, and a sixth will soon open. “Children in these schools are taught Armenian art and culture. They know Armenian song and dance as well as Armenian children know Bulgarian culture,” she said.
She invited the teachers and students of Peyo Yavorov School to the poet’s birthplace, the city of Chirpan, where they could jointly present Armenian and Bulgarian culture.
During the visit, President Iliana Iotova, the Ambassador of Bulgaria to Armenia Nikola Nikolov, and other guests also toured the “Armath” engineering laboratory, which was founded in 2023 at the school by the Bulgarian Embassy and the Union of Advanced Technology Enterprises. The lab is attended by students who have won various competitions in Singapore and other countries, including the “Koreez” program.
The school’s interactive classroom was also reopened in 2018 with the support of then-President of Bulgaria Rumen Radev, who attended the opening ceremony. The renovation of the gym was likewise carried out with the effective assistance of the Bulgarian government.