Kiril Valchev was elected by the Bulgarian Parliament as Director General of BTA

In her statement to the press, Yotova stated that Valchev is a lawyer, a journalist and a public figure and said, "Journalists are journalists not only because of the education they receive, but because they do their profession with a duty and passion. Among the journalists, there are also lawyers, business people, economists and people with a wide cultural background. Over the years, I have seen in Valchev a good lawyer, as well as a journalist, a public figure and an academician who teaches at higher education institutions. Instead of dividing those people, he brings them together." He proved he could deliver." he said.

"I accept the invitation as a tribute to the agency, not to me personally."

In his statement, Valchev stated that he did not make any effort to become a candidate and said, "I accept the President's invitation as an appreciation for the agency, not for me." he said.

Who is Kiril Valchev?

Born in 1973 in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, Valchev graduated from Sofia University Faculty of Law. In 1995, he studied radio management at Deutsche Welle in Cologne, Germany, and in 2000 he became a scholar at the European Leaders Program of the German Marshall Fund in the USA. In 2003, he interned at the Bulgarian language service of the BBC in London.

Valchev has been a writer and host of radio programs since 1994. Between 2000 and 2004, he worked as a lecturer in civil law at the Faculty of Law of Sofia University.

Valchev, who worked in BTA's Foreign News service between 1993 and 1995, was elected BTA General Manager by the Bulgarian Parliament on January 27, 2021.