The first day of the first course of the National Program “Governing Skills” ended emotionally for both the trainees and the lecturers. Three prominent Bulgarian public figures and experts in different fields informed the participants in the program about the personality and the life’s work of the patron of the Bulgarian School of Politics and its founder Dimitry Panitza.

In a special video interview, the world-renowned physicist and philanthropist Prof. Minko Balkanski talked about his meetings with Dimi.

“Dimi Panitza was an exceptional person. To me he is the most attractive Bulgarian I have ever met outside of Bulgaria. Where something was needed to be done for Bulgaria, Dimi was there. He wanted Bulgaria to be a democratic country in the true sense of the word”, Prof. Balkanski said.

The lawyer and a member of the board of the Bulgarian School of Politics, Andrey Delchev, also shared memories of his personal, long-standing acquaintance with Dimitry Panitza. Delchev said that every night Dimi Panitza had talked on the phone with another great Bulgarian – Ivan Stanchov, and their conversation had always begun with the question: “What did you do for Bulgaria today?” With an unhidden emotion in his voice, Delchev spoke about his first meeting with Dimi back in 1991, his great desire and his work Bulgaria to have an American University and a school of politics. He also noted his origins – a wealthy, intelligent family whose property after the changes in Bulgaria he restored and invested in the development of his country by setting up foundations, establishing journalistic awards, supporting orphanages …

“Dimi Panitza was a modern person who managed to transmit the whole range of our national values over time, to preserve our national virtues,” returned the mention of Dimi Panitza and Prof. Antoni Slavinski, Chairman of the Board of the BSoP, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of NBU and Minister of Transport and Communications from 1999 to 2001.