The "Eurosongs" sounded in the Rhodope Mountains. Diplomatic Spectrum was the media partner of the event

The first of a series of initiatives of the Municipality of Chepelare and the "Spectrum 21st Century" Association to present the municipality to representatives of the diplomatic corps in our country, has already been conducted. On the 21^st and 22^nd of June, Ambassadors from 11 countries came to the "Meeting in Chepelare Municipality - the Green Heart of Bulgaria" and the concert "Eurosongs": Austria, Algeria, Argentina, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Egypt, Cyprus, Mongolia, Palestine, South Africa. The aim was provide them with a chance to touch the beauty of the Rhodope Mountains, the opportunities for tourism development in the municipality called the "Green heart of Bulgaria", to the diversity of cultural life in it. The concert of Hristo Paskalev-Pascal's "Eurosongs" was the culmination of the meeting in the evening of June 21^st. It showed Chepelare as a city that highly values ​​not only the Bulgarian but also the European tradition.

The ambassadors were welcomed in the building of the Cheperare Municipality by Mayor Slavka Chakarova and by the editor-in-chief of the Diplomatic Spectrum Ekaterina Pavlova. Under the the sounds of bagpipes and Rhodopean songs, as the tradition dictates, the guests took a piece of pita and dip it in honey.

Then, in the meeting room, Slavka Chakarova made a presentation of the municipality - the "Green Heart of Bulgaria". She told about its history, its development today, its achievements in economics, sports and culture, about the unification of the two skiing resorts – Pamporovo and Mechi Chal. More about the municipality can be found at: chepelare.org. At the end, the mayor handed to each ambassador the honorary plaque of the Municipality of Chepelare, a book-album about it along with other promotional materials.

After a brief break, the meeting continued with

presentations and talks with local business representatives

First engineer Yanko Karamitev, chairman of the Gorovladelets Association, presented the logging industry in the municipality. The topic aroused great interest among the ambassadors and a lively discussion about the restoration of forests, their protection against fires, the opportunities for exporting timber and more followed.

The chairman of the association of hoteliers, restaurateurs and traders in Chepelare, Subi Madankov, spoke about the city's development as a tourist center, as well as about the opportunities for skiing and other types of tourism in the municipality.

With a short multimedia presentation, Nadezhda Ganeva, an employee of Pamporovo Ltd, showed to the guests the ski slopes and tourist attractions in the Pamporovo resort.

The American Sports Factory Bulgaria Ltd, a key global manufacturer of the "Atomic" and "Salomon" ski brands, was introduced by its CEO Atanas Rousenov. He also answered a number of questions about its capacity, quality of production and export opportunities.

And in the evening,

Hristo Paskalev-Pascal's concert "Eurosongs" took place at the "Olimpiiski" square

Ambassadors, residents and guests of the city enjoyed his wonderful performances of Bulgarian and European songs. The concert was also attended by the only Bulgarian Olympic champion in winter sports in Bulgaria - Ekaterina Dafovska. People rejoiced, sang and danced, and even the occasional rain, did not make them leave. "Living together in Europe means singing our eurosongs together!" It is no coincidence that this is the motto of the "Spectrum 21st Century" project - Europe's Favourite Songs. You can find more about it at: Eurosongs

In the break between the two parts of the concert the Chepelare's wonderful and talented children joined in with their performances. The kids from the kindergarten of Chepelare sang on stage two of their songs: "Friendship" and "Magic Words". And the girls from the dance group at the Municipal Children's Complex - Chepelare, with artistic director Valentina Bozova, danced a Bulgarian and  a Greek dance. All of them received gifts - books and information materials for the European Union from the EU Information Center in Sofia.

After the concert, the mayor gave a dinner for the ambassadors at the "Shoki" restaurant in the city, which was attended by both Ekaterina Dafovska and Radoslav Yankov, the snowboarder, winner of the Grand Crystal Globe in the parallel disciplines for 2016.

On the 22^nd of June

the guests enjoyed the generous Rhodope hospitality

At the "Green Heart of Bulgaria", they first visited the village of Progled, where they discovered a true treasure of carefully preserved traditions and lifestyle. In the "Kutsinska house" they got the chance to try local specialties and looked with interest at the recreational facilities it offers. They also visited the "Green View" guest house. The last to be visited was Master Gogo's workshop for making wooden wheels and cheverme accessories.

At the Rozhen National Astronomical Observatory, the ambassadors were greeted by its director - Dr. Nikola Petrov, who introduced them to the way it was created, the work of the scientists and their achievements.

Their next stop was the Pamporovo resort. There, guests visited the five-star Orlovets Hotel and the conference room of Pamporovo Ltd. Then, at the Dafovska Hotel our Olympic champion, Ekaterina Dafovska, warmly greeted them with a cup of coffee. Everyone had a photo with her, with her numerous cups from national and international competitions, as well as the skis with which she won the Olympic title. At noon, they tried the famous Rhodope cheverme at the barbecue of the Kamelia Hotel.

The stunning 360-degree view of the Rhodope Mountains from the Snejanka Tower was the perfect end to the meeting in the Chepelare Municipality - the green heart of Bulgaria!

Photos: Chepelare Municipality and "Spectrum 21st Association"

Above: Ambassadors from 11 countries attended the concert of Hristo Paskalev-Pascal’s - Eurosongs in Chepelare.

First row: Welcoming of the guests in the building of the municipality in Chepelare. H. E. Ms. Anna Maria Sampaio Fernandes, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Federative Republic of Brazil and H. E. Ms. Latifa Benazza, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Algerian Democratic and People's Republic upon their arrival; H. E. Mr. Marios Kountouridis, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Cyprus

Second Row: the Mayor of Chepelare Slavka Chakarova and the Diplomatic Spectrum Editor-in-Chief Ekaterina Pavlova welcome the guests. Presentations and talks with the representatives of the local business: Eng. Yanko Karamitev, Chairman of the Gorovladelets Association; Subi Madankov, chairman of the association of hoteliers, restaurateurs and merchants in Chepelare, Nadezhda Ganeva, an employee of Pamporovo Ltd.

Third row: Atanas Rusenov, CEO of Amer Sports Bulgaria Ltd presents the ski factory. Ms. Slavka Chakarova presents an honorary plaque of the Municipality of Chepelare to H. E. Dr. Ahmed Al Madbuh, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the State of Palestine and Doyen of the diplomatic corps to our country. He thanked her on behalf of everyone for the invitation and the hospitality. "Olympiiski" Square in Chepelare.

Fourth and Fifth: Hristo Paskalev-Pascal's concert "Eurosongs". The presenters of the show Kostadin Belenozov and Elen Asimakova; the children from the Kindergarten and the girls from the dance group at the Municipal Children's Complex; Pascal with a part of the young team of the municipality: Kostadin Belenozov, Maria Draginova, Evgeni Paunov, Petya Kostovska and Marina Hadzhiivanova. On the final song - "Bulgaria", the wonderful children of Chepelare joined the singer. Mayor Slavka Chakarova congratulated him after the concert. H. E. Mr. Zdravko Begovic, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Bosnia and Herzegovina /to the right/ and H. E. Mr. Dashjamts Batsaikhan, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Mongolia (to the left) and his wife

Sixth row: At the dinner after the concert, the ambassadors were photographed with Ekaterina Dafovska, Radoslav Yankov and Pascal; at the Kutsinska House; H. E. Ms. Andrea Wicke, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Austria; H. E. Mr. Alberto Alfredo Manuel Trueba, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Argentine Republic with his wife Carina and Pascal

Seventh Row: Slavka Chakarova and Mr. Mashudubele Mamabolo, Charge d’Affaires a.i. at the Embassy of the Republic of South Africa; at the Rozhen National Astronomical Observatory with its director - Dr. Nikola Petrov; the famous Rhodope cheverme; H. E. Mr. Moayad Fathallah Mohamed Eldalie, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Arab Republic of Egypt thanked the Mayor of Chepelare for her hospitality.

Eighth row: At the hotel of our Olympic champion Ekaterina Dafovska; At the Snow White Tower – H. E. Mr. Armen Sargsyan, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Armenia, Ekaterina Pavlova, Editor-in-Chief of the Diplomatic Spectrum, Slavka Chakarova, Mayor of the Chepelare Municipality and Hristo Paskalev-Pascal, performer