Baku, May 18, AZERTAC

Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) Director General Kiril Valchev is among the guests at the Fifth Bulgarian Parade in Chicago, organized to mark May 24, the Day of Saints Cyril and Methodius, the Bulgarian Alphabet, Education and Culture, and Slavic Literature.

"We Bulgarians greet each other today with 'Bangaranga!' after Dara won Eurovision with this song, and next year Bulgaria will host the world's largest international song contest. A Bulgarian has joined the ranks of fellow Eurovision winners ABBA and Celine Dion, who was born in Canada, a two-hour flight from Chicago. 'The number one rule is: Anything is possible!' Dara said after her victory on Saturday night. Bulgarians in America know this best - anything is possible when you work hard to develop the talent God has given you. In America, you understand best the meaning of the lyrics 'I'm a mover, I'm a teaser, I don't follow, I'm the leader.' Bulgarians in America help Bulgaria even without being there," said Valchev in his speech during the celebration.

"You, too, made a huge contribution to Dara's victory and proved that Bulgarians around the world can be a powerful force, because Bulgaria received the highest number of 12 points from audiences in countries that do not participate in Eurovision but are eligible to vote. Thus, Bulgaria's song won by the largest margin over the runner-up in the history of the contest. "Bulgaria is proud of the contribution of many Bulgarians in America, united by the thought that you can help your homeland from anywhere, including by linking your Bulgarian name to the progress of other countries where you live," said the Director General of BTA.

He also spoke about Alexander Valchev's book " Bulgarians, That Built Modern America": "More than 20 years ago, my father, Alexander Valchev, wrote that book, in which he told the story of John Atanasoff, the inventor of the first electronic digital computer, whose father came to America from the village of Boyadzhik, Yambol Region; Peter Petrov from the village of Brestovitsa, Plovdiv Region, who as involved in the creation of the first meteorological and communications satellites, American space rockets, and the first digital wristwatch; Viden Tabakov from the village of Stakevtsi, one of the creators of the first turbojet engines and a member of the Apollo spacecraft team; Krastyo Krastev from Silistra, who discovered electromagnetic pulsations, which are of great importance for maintaining peace through the monitoring of nuclear tests worldwide; Assen Jordanoff from Sofia, the father of American civil aviation; Carl Djerassi, whose father was a Bulgarian Jew, the father of the pill; Christo, Christo Yavashev from Gabrovo, the world-renowned artist who, in 1969, wrapped the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago… And there are Bulgarians who, without ever having lived in America, have left a significant mark here, such as Dr. Stamen Grigorov from the village of Studen Izvor, the discoverer of the Bulgarian yogurt bacterium Lactobacillus bulgaricus, whose research revolutionized microbiology and pharmacy with probiotics."

According to Valchev, America offered all of them and their discoveries opportunities to showcase their talents: "Opportunities that Bulgaria does not always manage to provide for its children, but the Bulgarian spirit has always been within them, just as we see today at the Bulgarian Parade in Chicago that the Bulgarian spirit is within you."

That is why Bulgaria wants to know more about the success of Bulgarians in America, said Valchev.

He commented on the work of BTA's BG World Department which, in the five years since its establishment, has published 3,063 news stories about Bulgarians in the United States. "Of these, nearly 45 percent, 1,363, are about Bulgarians in Chicago. With each passing year, these stories from Chicago have increased, from 19 in 2021 and 94 in 2022 to more than 350 in 2023, 2024, and 2025, when they accounted for 359 out of 1,144 news stories from the US. "This means that every day in Bulgaria we have at least one news item about Bulgarians in Chicago, which is actually the source of one in three news items about Bulgarians in the US," said BTA's Director General.

"We gather this news from your associations, Sunday schools, churches, folk ensembles and prominent figures. According to data from the Executive Agency for Bulgarians Abroad, there are nearly 200 Bulgarian organizations in the US, including over 50 Bulgarian schools, over 20 associations, over 20 church organizations, over 40 folk ensembles and over 20 cultural groups. A valuable source of information about Bulgarians in Chicago is the Consulate General of Bulgaria in this city, and Consul General Svetoslav Stankov, who deserves praise for organizing the Bulgarian Parade for the fifth time to mark May 24," said Kiril Valchev.

"Twenty years ago, for May 24, on the initiative of my predecessor, director-general Maxim Minchev, BTA brought together in Chicago 30 Bulgarian media outlets from 14 countries for the Second World Meeting of Bulgarian Media. Last year, these meetings had their 20th edition, with 70 Bulgarian-language media outlets from 25 countries gathering in Sofia, and they too are an important source of news about Bulgarians around the world. That is why I am in Chicago not only to greet you at the Bulgaria Parade for May 24, but also to urge you to provide even more information about your life here. Because BTA is a platform not only connecting Bulgarians around the world with Bulgaria, but also connecting Bulgarians from different countries with one another. We in Bulgaria need the Bulgarians abroad and their children. We need your knowledge and experience, which you can, of course, share with us from the countries where you live," Valchev said.

According to him, the Eurovision victory gave Bulgaria yet another reason to be proud, just as 32 years ago, when Bulgaria finished fourth in the FIFA World Cup in the United States after a 4-0 win over Greece in Chicago.

"In BTA's news you can find many more reasons. Bulgaria is now not only in the European Union, but Bulgarians travel across Europe without borders and already use the euro with inscriptions in Cyrillic as the EU's third alphabet - one of Bulgaria's greatest contributions to Europe during the 14 centuries of Bulgarian statehood on the continent. Incidentally, BTA, together with Bulgarian National Television and Bulgarian National Radio, has launched the initiative 14 Centuries of Bulgaria in Europe to mark significant anniversaries in Bulgarian history that are important for Europe's shared history, culminating in 2032, when 1,400 years will mark the first Bulgarian state formation documented in historical sources on European territory - Old Great Bulgaria in 632. Foreigners now come to Bulgaria not only as tourists, but also to work and study at Bulgarian universities," Valchev said.

"That is why, although BTA has an English-language service, please read BTA's news from Bulgaria in Bulgarian. Because our letters distinguish us, preserve us and unite us as Bulgarians. That is why pass these letters on to your children by giving them the most valuable thing not only in America - your time. Bulgaria will continue supporting Bulgarian schools around the world in teaching these letters to the children of Bulgarians wherever they may live, because we know that courage is needed to do so in a foreign-language environment.

"Therefore, wherever Bulgarians may be, let us remain united by the Bulgarian letters. Because with Dara's Eurovision victory we saw something else as well - Bulgaria unites. It united Bulgarians in Bulgaria. It united Bulgarians around the world. It united talented composers from Greece and Romania too, and thus it became a Balkan victory as well. Bulgaria united the audience and the jury, because for the first time in nearly 10 years, the jury and the audience selected the same winner. And today at the Bulgaria Parade, alongside traditional Bulgarian dances and songs, Bangaranga will also be sung and danced to. Bangaranga, Chicago! Bangaranga, Bulgaria!" the BTA Director General said in his speech.

With the now traditional Bulgarian Parade, the Bulgarian community in the American Midwest is marking May 24, the Day of Saints Cyril and Methodius, the Bulgarian Alphabet, Education and Culture, and Slavic Literature. For the fifth time, representatives of all Bulgarian schools, cultural organizations, folklore and creative ensembles, and patriotic associations are honouring the work of Saints Cyril and Methodius with a festive procession and a celebratory family day. This year’s special guest is Bulgarian performer Orlin Goranov, Bulgaria’s Consul General in Chicago Svetoslav Stankov told BTA earlier. “This is the largest Bulgarian event abroad,” he said.

The Fifth Bulgarian Parade is being held in the Chicago suburb of Elk Grove Village, where many Bulgarians live.

Traditionally, the Parade is organized by Bulgaria's Consulate General in Chicago and Elk Grove Village City Hall.