Surprisingly, the Council of Ministers made a decision and removed from his post Iliya Raev – General Director of the Festival Complex – Varna.
25 years ago, the complex was taken over by him as piles of concrete to bring it to the world’s leading positions as we know it today. And all this without a single penny from the state for the last 22 years.
ADDRESS
Dear ladies and gentlemen, journalists, friends,
Since its establishment 25 years ago (1986), the Festival and Congress Center (FCC) has been a member of the most prestigious international and European organizations in the field of congress activity and culture – European Federation of Congress Cities (EFCT, now ECM), International Association for Congresses and conferences (ICCA), the pan-European chain of cinemas belonging to the European Union and the Council of Europe EUROPE CINEMAS and the programs EUROIMAGE and MEDIA to support the development of European cinema.
The Festival Complex (FK) has been working in close cooperation with the National Palace of Culture (NDK) since its inception. All significant cultural events are jointly organized and presented in both centers (World Cinema Panorama, concerts, weeks of foreign cultures, etc.)
I myself am the founder and leader of a number of non-governmental initiatives in various fields: Faith, Hope and Love – board member, Open Society – board member, Bulgarian Red Cross – Varna – chairman, Varna Chamber of Commerce and Industry – board member , Varna Tourist Chamber – member of the board, National Association for Underwater Activities – chairman, Varna Free University “Chernorizets Hrabar” – member of the board, Russophiles Association – chairman, Club “Friendship of Bulgaria – Cuba” – chairman, Friendship Society with Japan – board member. I have also participated in the creation and establishment of scientific and, at the time, the strongest economic structures in Varna. I am also responsible for establishing contacts with embassies and cultural centers to them since 1987.
I have a wealth of personal contacts in Bulgaria and around the world in the fields of culture, politics, science, religion and sports, as well as in other fields (medicine). I managed to raise the authority of FCC “Lyudmila Zhivkova” into a respected institution, which for no reason stopped working from 1986 to 09/07/2011 for a single working day. FCC works 356 days a year on non-stop schedules, with no overtime imposed.
The FC team is professional, sincere and with personal responsibility for belonging to the “brand” FC. The team and I personally do not know Saturdays, Sundays, national holidays or rest after the end of the working day at 6 p.m. The team and I personally welcomed the presidents and prime ministers of over 14 Bulgarian governments, as well as many foreign countries.
I created the “Love is Madness” International Film Festival, which took place last week for the 19th year in a row, together with Professor Alexander Grozev, and registered it as a FC trademark since the first year.
I restored, together with Henri Kulev, after a 22-year hiatus, the World Animation Film Festival, which, ironically, opens tomorrow.
I thank the magnificent and sensitive Varna audience, which has applauded over the years the great names of the Bulgarian theater – Georgi Kaloyanchev, Nevena Kokanova, Pepa Nikolova, Rangel Valchanov, Stoyanka Mutafova, Kosta Tsonev, Georgi Georgiev – Gets, Georgi Cherkelov, Tatyana Lolova, Iskra Radeva, Valeri Petrov, Nedyalko Yordanov and many, many others. Thanks to all these artistes for entertaining us from the stages of FC.
Renowned organists of the cathedrals “Notre Dame” in Paris, Reims, Vienna, from Great Britain, Italy and many others have played for the Varna audience, in February 2012 the organist of the Cologne Cathedral will play at the FCC.
Raina Kabaivanska, Gena Dimitrova, Anna Tomova – Sintova, Katya Richarelli, Mirela Freni, Yuri Bashmet, Juliet Beko, Ruggiero Ricci, Yildiz Ibrahimova, Milcho Leviev, Masako Oya, Elem Klimov, Lyudmila Gurchenko, Jiri Menzel, Krzysztof Zanussi, Luigi Perelli ( the director of “Octopus”), Michele Placido and many, many others found a warm reception and a meeting with the people of Varna precisely in the halls of the FCC.
The FCC has established itself in the national and international life of the convention industry, whose development, unfortunately, depends on the politics and prestige of the state on the international stage. Personally, I am the initiator of the creation of the first PCO (Professional Congress Organizer) in Bulgaria. The FC hosted meetings of the executive committees of the World and European Congress Associations, which were attended by Dick Ouhand – Secretary General, and Olivier Lepin – President of the International Congresses and Conferences Association (ICCA), Pere Durand – President of the European Federation of Congress Cities (EFCT).
Richard von Weisecker – President of Germany, George Soros – philanthropist, Their Excellencies, the US ambassadors – Sol Polanski, James Pardew, Avis Bowlen, James Warlick, as well as Jeremy Hill – ambassador of the Kingdom of Great Britain, Ursula Seiler were also guests of the FC. – Ambassador of Germany, Etienne de Ponsin – Ambassador of France, Carl Diem, Ambassador of Austria, Tove Skarstein, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Norway, Divyabh Manchanda, Ambassador of India, Noah Gal-Gallender, Ambassador of the State of Israel, and many others.
Since 1990, the state has stopped subsidizing FC. The annual subsidy from the state budget from then to today is BGN 0! In addition, periodically, every 2 years, FC is inspected by DFK – Sofia, the NRA and all control institutions. Personally, I have concerned presidents and prime ministers, as well as the above-mentioned bodies, with the status of FCC, because it is public state property and does not receive a 1 lev subsidy. The only such case in the world!
FC has no bad debts. In commercial activities, I have been able to command the best high market prices and have not made any compromises, including for political parties. Everyone paid according to the established official order. In 25 years, there is not a single example of a compromise with this rule!
FC is protected to the last square meter from the appetites of institutions and private individuals for privatization. In 2007, another attempt was made to expropriate the FC parking lot, and it was updated by the Municipal Council of Varna as “Republika Summer Cinema”. In May 2011, another attempt was made to have the land under the FCC and the adjacent parking lot documented, being omitted from the new FCC property deed. I thank Mrs. Bineva, vice-chairman of the board of directors of the NDK, and the vice-prime minister and finance minister Dyankov, whom I personally introduced to the issue and after my report he came to a meeting in Varna on the occasion.
As a result, Minister Dyankov submitted a second decision of the Council of Ministers, adding the land adjacent to the complex to the assets of FCC. But only her! The question of the ownership of the parking lot adjacent to the FC is still “documentally” hanging in the space!
I am one of the few lucky people to have worked under great managers, and only three in my life!
I am grateful to the Navy for the qualities I acquired during my three years of service as a diver – sapper.
I have enough memories to write an interesting book. I have survived over 1000 hours underwater and climbed 5200 m in Peru as the leader of the Peruvian Andes 85 expedition, right after the Everest expedition. I registered at the National Institute of Geography of Peru with the personal participation of President Cesar Morales Mount Bulgaria (5200 m), conquered for the first time by our expedition.
I have seen the changes of many governments, I have been an object of “interest” also during communism because of my ancestry – grandfather general of His Majesty the King; with uncle – creator and first owner of “Kaolin” mine; and through democracy – declared a red nomenclature! Despite everything, I showed that whoever wants to do work, works, and does not excuse himself with external factors.
Dear journalists, representatives of information agencies, friends from all spheres!
During all the years of managing FC – 25, I have been open to you with monthly press conferences. I learned how to work in the media space from you.
Thank you!
I hope that soon (when the time comes) we will meet again in the public space of socio-political life.
07.09.2011
12.00 p.m.
Festival and Congress Center, Varna
Ilko Raev
PP
From this time and date – 12.00 on 09/07/2011, at the suggestion of the principal, after 43 years and 9 months of work experience…
I thank my wife Svetla and my daughters Bilyana Raeva and Malena Raeva for the shared difficulties!
I adore my granddaughters Melanie, Aleph and Christy!
Bye!
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