AKP Phnom Penh, July 21, 2025—

H.E. Dr. Chea Chanboribo, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Cambodia to Bulgaria, met today with representatives from Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski" to discuss avenues for academic collaboration between the two nations. 

The discussions focused on fostering educational exchanges, particularly in historical studies and cultural heritage preservation.

Ambassador Chanboribo was joined by Professor Mira Markova, Senior Faculty Member of the Faculty of History; Associate Professor Dr. Milena Petkova, Deputy Senior Faculty Member of the Faculty of History; and Professor Rumyana Marinova-Christidi, Head of Byzantine Studies at Sofia University.

The meeting delved into Cambodia's rich historical heritage and explored opportunities for future institutional partnerships. Professor Markova highlighted the Faculty of History as Sofia University's oldest faculty, established alongside the university's founding vision for higher education. The faculty offers a wide array of programmes, including Archaeology, Ethnology, Archival and Documentary Studies, and History with various specialisations, in addition to 6 graduate programmes.

Professor Marinova-Christidi underscored Sofia University's unique position as the sole institution in the region offering a comprehensive Byzantine Studies programme.

She expressed keen interest in developing cooperation in archaeology, tangible cultural heritage preservation, and modern history through academic exchanges.

A key proposal from Professor Markova was the establishment of an agreement to facilitate student and academic information exchanges between Sofia University's Faculty of History and Cambodia's Royal University of Phnom Penh.

Ambassador Chanboribo welcomed the initiative, affirming Cambodia's commitment to supporting such academic collaborations. He emphasised Cambodia's profound history, noting its past as an empire and its evolution through various administrative systems. The Ambassador also shared personal insights from his student years in Bulgaria, offering a perspective on Cambodia's journey from the French colonial era through the Khmer Rouge period and its subsequent recovery since the 1990s.

The meeting concluded with Professor Markova inviting Ambassador Chanboribo to deliver a guest lecture at Sofia University, noting significant student interest in contemporary Asian politics and historical heritage. She also requested that he share excerpts from his publications on Cambodia's economic, political, and historical developments with students and doctoral candidates.

A central outcome of the discussions was the proposal to draft a cooperation agreement between Sofia University and the Royal University of Phnom Penh, with a primary focus on student exchanges. The professors noted that the Faculty of History offers several English-language programmes in fields like digital humanities, anthropology, and Ottoman and Bulgarian empires, which would facilitate the participation of Cambodian students.

Ambassador Chanboribo reiterated his mission in Bulgaria to foster mutual understanding and friendship between the Cambodian and Bulgarian peoples, and to advance cooperation across various sectors, including education.

Further ideas explored included organising a photo exhibition on Cambodia at Sofia University to introduce Khmer culture to Bulgarian students, and arranging a Cambodian-Bulgarian cultural evening featuring traditional cuisine, music, and customs to strengthen cultural ties.

By K. Rithy Reak