During a seven day visit to the United States, Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev together with 40 other government officials and delegates, visited The Pacific Institute (TPI) in Seattle on Wednesday, May 16.

The visit is part of a multi-city trip to strengthen US – Bulgarian connections in business, commerce, and education. A 3-hour reception at the Institute’s headquarters in West Seattle included welcome speeches, introductions of local government and business leaders, media sessions, and commitments by The Pacific Institute to assist the Bulgarian leadership in a wide range of development efforts.

The visit is part of a multi-city trip to strengthen US – Bulgarian connections in business, commerce, and education. The president will continue his first U.S. visit to San Francisco and Chicago, visiting U.S. company representatives, according to the Focus Information Agency. He will attend a NATO summit in Chicago on May 20.

Since his inauguration in January of 2012, President Plevneliev has been active in promoting and strengthening Bulgarian national interests through administrative reform, economic growth, and development of a strong public educational system.

Currently, the European Union is providing Bulgaria with significant financial support as the eastern European country transitions to open and transparent democratic governance and long-term economic viability and growth.

In his first address to parliament, President Plevneliev outlined his vision for Bulgaria: “For me a strong, prosperous and successful Bulgaria is larger than just an objective. It is a cause...a cause for which we should sacrifice personal interests….We are strong only when we are united… Looking for unity is a constitutional duty of the president… In my cause, Bulgaria should become a European country with the continent’s average of prosperity, with developed regions and a competitive economy; whose people live dignified lives and young generations enjoy good prospects for development. This should be the nation’s strategic goal…”

About the Pacific Institute
The Pacific Institute, co-founded by Lou and Diane Tice in Seattle, formally began in 1971, and celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2011.

Its varied curricula have been translated into 21 different languages, and the education has been brought to individuals and organizations in 62 countries around the world. The Pacific Institute’s scientifically-proven education is effective in assisting individuals, organizations, and nations to better utilize their inherent and natural capacity for growth, change and creativity. This educational process allows individuals and organizations to design and build the most effective, productive and successful futures possible.

With offices in London, Perth, Johannesburg, Tokyo, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Seoul as well as its International Headquarters in Seattle, it is estimated that TPI’s education has touched over 33 million people around the world, and the ripple effect could be much greater.

Co-Founder, Lou Tice, passed away on April 1, 2012 in Seattle.