Yotova: A State of Mathematics Is the Foundation for a Technological State.

A country that wants to be technological must first be a country of mathematics — with good teachers, strong universities and research institutes that should be seen not as an expense, but as an investment with the highest return. This was stated by Vice President Iliana Yotova at the opening of the Days of Mathematics in Sofia forum.

According to her, the forum does not need a lengthy introduction because it presents Bulgaria to the world by itself. Yotova stressed that the conference has been held since 2014.

The vice president said the forum has built something more than a scientific programme. It has built a community, she said, noting that most of the plenary lectures will be delivered by Bulgarian mathematicians from leading global centres. In her words, this proves that the Bulgarian school of mathematics is alive and knows no borders.

In her speech, Yotova also highlighted the recent victory of Nikola Veselinov, a student at the Sofia High School of Mathematics, at Regeneron ISEF in the United States — one of the world’s most prestigious forums for young researchers.

The vice president raised the question of what the state owes Bulgarian science so that such achievements can also be born at home. She added that the task of the state is to ensure that these bridges do not remain one-way — by creating conditions for joint research, visiting professors and returning home whenever possible.

In conclusion, Iliana Yotova expressed confidence that the new laureate of the Institute of Mathematics and Informatics award will place Bulgaria where it belongs — among the countries that give the world not just labour, but ideas with global application.

May the ‘Days of Mathematics in Sofia’ also be days of Bulgaria in world science, Iliana Yotova wished the participants.