On 7–8 April 2025, members of the National Assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria, Yordan Todorov and Angel Yanchev, visited the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research. The delegates became familiar with JINR’s laboratories, where they got acquainted with the scientific infrastructure and research projects of the Institute.

On the first day, the guests visited the site of the NICA Accelerator Complex at the Laboratory of High Energy Physics and the JINR Main Facilities interactive exhibition at the Mir Cultural Centre. In addition, the delegates met with representatives of the national group of the Republic of Bulgaria at JINR.

The introduction to the Institute’s research infrastructure continued on 8 April with visits to five more laboratories. Yordan Todorov and Angel Yanchev toured the DC-280 Cyclotron hall at the Superheavy Element Factory and the Centre of Applied Physics at the Laboratory of Nuclear Reactions, as well as the JINR Multifunctional Information and Computing Complex (MICC) and the Govorun Supercomputer hall at the Laboratory of Information Technologies. In addition, the guests got well-acquainted with the infrastructure and research programmes of the Laboratory of Nuclear Problems, the Laboratory of Neutron Physics, and the Laboratory of Radiation Biology.

The meeting with representatives of the JINR Directorate concluded the event’s programme. The parties emphasised the fundamental importance of multilateral cooperation between JINR Member States for the national research and technological advancement of these countries, the strengthening of international partnership in science and technology, and sustainable socio-economic development, in accordance with the principles of the Sofia Declaration on the Value of International Integration in Science and Technology adopted by the Plenipotentiaries of the Governments of the JINR Member States at the November 2021 session in Sofia.

JINR Vice-Director Latchesar Kostov emphasised the historical significance of the cooperation: “We are proud that 70 years ago the Republic of Bulgaria became one of the co-founders of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research. This decision gave Bulgaria an opportunity to become a part of one of the largest international scientific projects of the 20th century, which continues to unite scientists from all over the world today”.