Mayor of Dobrich Yordan Yordanov

Thank you for welcoming me today to Dobrich.  I had the honor of speaking at Varna University of Management this morning, and then visiting the Essetere factory, which is an excellent example of strong Bulgarian-American economic ties.  This afternoon I’ll meet with Dobrich business leaders to talk about extending and deepening our ties further.

Today’s events follow our inauguration yesterday of a modern specialized playground for the children attending Briz Logopedic Kindergarten in Varna, and an historic dedication ceremony at the Naval Academy Library.  I also met with Admiral Petev and Bulgarian Naval leadership.

I appreciate the opportunity to visit beautiful Dobrich and the Varna region.  I am pleased to note that American-Bulgarian commercial partnerships are thriving in the Varna region.  doTerra distillery is thriving in Dobrich.  Vartek Blagoevi – the local representative for U.S. company Pitney Bowes – recently expanded into global e-commerce, software, and other technologies.  C3i Healthcare Connections has a new international operations center in Varna. Sitel expanded to Varna in 2015.  Cargill manages more than 70% of its global vessel transportation from Varna.  Double Tree Hilton, John Deere equipment distributor Megatron, and Great Plains equipment distributor Stoychevi are here.  Coca-Cola, Corteva, and American Breeders Services all choose to make the Varna region – the agricultural breadbasket of Bulgaria – home.

The U.S. Embassy will continue to support Bulgarian-American investment as an important part of our ever-deepening bilateral relationship.

Thank you.