Sofia mayor Fandukova to receive German Federal Cross of Merit
Sofia mayor Yordanka Fandukova is to receive the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, first class, for her long-standing contributions to the development of relations between Germany and Bulgaria, Berlin’s embassy in Sofia said.
The award is Germany’s only federal decoration, created in 1951, awarded to more than 200 000 individuals since then, both Germans and foreigners, according to its Wikipedia entry.
The German embassy said that Fandukova’s contributions began back in her days as headmistress of a high school in Sofia, where she promoted the learning of German at the school.
As deputy mayor and mayor of Bulgaria’s capital city, she has contributed significantly to German-Bulgarian cultural co-operation and has maintained an open dialogue with German business on important issues, the embassy said.
The honour is to be conferred on Fandukova at a ceremony at the German embassy in Sofia on September 26.
