Opening speech – 4th ESTIDIA conference – 29 September 2017

Ivanka Mavrodieva

Dear Prof. Stoicheva,

Dear Prof. Harizanova,

Dear Prof. Ilie,

Distinguished guests, colleagues and friends,

Ladies and gentlemen,

It is a privilege for me to welcome you to Bulgaria, Sofia and to Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”.

On behalf of the organizers of 4TH ESTIDIA Conference “DIALOGUES WITHOUT BORDERS: STRATEGIES OF INTERPERSONAL AND INTER-GROUP COMMUNICATION” I would like to express my most sincere gratitude for your presence in this scientific event and for the time devoted.

The name of our capital city we are in – Sofia, means wisdom. And the slogan we chose for our conference is “ESTIDIA 2017: Wisdom and Friendship”.

We are specially thankful to prominent people who support the 4th ESTIDIA conference:

– the Vice-Rector of Sofia University prof. Maria Stoicheva;

– the Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy Prof. Olia Harizanova;

– the president of ESTIDIA prof. Cornelia Ilie.

Ten years ago I met prof. Cornelia Ilie during the conference in Ljubljana. Moreover, I have had the chance to take part as a member of the scientific committee and as a speaker for ESTIDIA conferences in various countries and universities: Barcelona – Spain, Bari – Italy, Vrac – Serbia, Constanta – Rumania, etc.

I am glad to see here the Rhetoric and Communications E-journal authors and contributors:

  • Prof. Cornelia Ilie – Malmö University, Sweden;

  • Prof. Marta Dąbrowska – Jagiellonian University, Poland;

  • Prof. Rafael Jiménez Cataño – University of the Holy Cross, Rome, Italy;

  • Andrea Valente – York University, Canada.

I am happy to see in Sofia University prof. Ruxandra Boicu from the University of Bucharest, Romania, who is an editor together with Silvia Branea and Adriana Stefanel of the book “Political Communication and European Parliamentary Elections in Times of Crisis. Perspectives from Central and South-Eastern Europe“, published in 2017 by Palgrave Macmillan.

It is a privilege to see in Sofia University prof. Kyung-Hee Suh from Kyung Hee University and prof. Kyu-hyun Kim, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Korea. Prof. Stoicheva, prof. Nedkov and me met them in May in Seoul.

I appreciate the role of every single member of the organizing and the scientific committees.

Special thanks to the members of the Executive Board of the Institute of Rhetoric and Communications:

Assoc. prof. Stefan Serezliev who designed all materials – posters, covers, certificates, folders, etc.

– D-r Georgi Petkov – web designer and online editor of Rhetoric and Communication E-journal;

– Prof. Yovka Tisheva.

Special thanks to prof. Yanka Totseva for being helpful in preparing the conference program and the book of abstracts.

I also want to thank my PhD students Todor Simeonov and Anita Nikolova for their contribution, creativity and work under pressure.

Special thanks to d-r Nora Goleshevska, d-r Elitsa Nikolova and to my PhD students Desislava Antova and Teodora Abrasheva.

(Slides presentation)

This conference provides beneficial time for making and renewing contacts as well as for discussing with participants from various countries and universities across the globe significant issues of dialogues, communication and media.

I hope we will start valuable academic relationships and research projects.

I wish success to the participants in the conference.

Thank you very much indeed!

It is an honour to give the floor to prof. Maria Stoicheva, Vice-Rector of Sofia University.

I would like to give the floor to prof. OIia Harizanova, Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy.

I am glad to give the floor to prof. Cornelia Ilie, president of ESTIDIA and keynote speaker.

Prof. Ivanka Mavrodieva

65 Auditorium, Faculty of Philosophy, Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohrisdki”

29th September 2017