Ambassadors Up-Close: Spotlight on the Black Sea

The Transatlantic Policy Center and SIS’ Department of Foreign Policy and Global Security at American University in Washington DC invites you on Tuesday, November 7, 2023 at 11:00 am to an Ambassadors Up-Close: Spotlight on the Black Sea featuring H.E. Andrei Muraru, Ambassador of Romania to the United States and H.E. Georgi Panayotov, Ambassador of Bulgaria to the United States and moderated by Antoaneta (Toni) Tileva, Ph.D., cultural anthropologist at the School of International Service. This event is part of the Jean Monnet in the U.S. series, bringing together the network of EU – funded Universities in the US.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has put a major spotlight on the vital importance of the Black Sea. The region is at the intersection of key security threats with the ongoing war nearby, crucial maritime challenges with the grain crisis, and ensuring energy alternatives to Russian gas.

H.E. Andrei Muraru, Ambassador of Romania to the United States, and H.E. Georgi Panayotov, Ambassador of Bulgaria to the United States, will discuss these major challenges for their countries, for Europe, and for Transatlantic Relations.

Andrei Muraruis the Romanian ambassador to the United States since September 2021. Prior to that, between 2014 and 2021, Andrei Muraru was Senior Advisor to the President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, at the Presidential Administration, serving as the head of the Department of Relationship with Public Authorities and Civil Society. He previously was at the Institute for the Investigation of Communist Crimes and the Memory of the Romanian Exile (IICCMER) – a governmental agency coordinated by the Romanian PM – since its foundation, holding different offices, from expert-researcher to Executive President. He is a university lecturer at the National University of Political Studies and Public Administration and holds a PhD in History from the University “Alexandru Ioan Cuza” in Iași, as well as an MA and BA in History from the same university. He was awarded by H.M. King Michael I, the Medal “King Michael for Loyalty” for his contribution to the historiography of the Romanian monarchy in 2008 and he was granted the distinction of Officer in the Order of the Crown for his activity as head of IICCMER in 2015. In 2019, Andrei Muraru was awarded the ”Grande Ufficiale Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana” by the President of the Italian Republic, H.E. Sergio Mattarella.

Georgi Panayotov became the ambassador of Bulgaria to the United States in May 2022. Prior to that, he served as Minister of Defense in two consecutive governments in 2021. H.E. Panayotov has also served his government in multiple high-ranking positions, including as Permanent Representative to the United Nations (2016-2020), as head of the NATO department in the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Deputy Chief of Mission in the United States. He has also served in Afghanistan and Albania. For all of his accomplishments, H.E. Panayotov received the Silver Badge of Honor for Meritorious Service from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bulgaria, as well as a recognition for his service to NATO. H.E. Panayotov graduated from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations with a master’s degree in politics, and he is the father of one son and one daughter.

Antoaneta (Toni) Tileva, Ph.D., (moderator) is a cultural anthropologist at the School of International Service. A Bulgarian immigrant, she came to the US when she was 12. She has lived in Washington, DC for the last three decades. She teaches classes on intercultural communication, gender, immigration, development, and globalization. She remains very close to her Bulgarian roots and is always exploring themes around that. Her work centers on issues of language, food, and placemaking. She is also a faculty advisor for Food-Fueled, a student journal on food issues.

To register for this event please click here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ambassadors-up-close-spotlight-on-the-black-sea-tickets-737219121237