International Conference "Diplomacy, Intelligence, and Influence in the Balkans and Beyond, 17th–19th Centuries"

On March 24 and 25, 2026, a major international scientific conference “Diplomacy, Intelligence and Networks of Influence in the Balkans and Beyond, XVII-XIX Centuries” was held in the central building of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences in Sofia, in which over 40 scientists participated, 30 of them from all over Europe, Turkey and North America. In these two days, Sofia became a center for global academic communication on history, diplomacy and intelligence, examined and realized over a longer period: XVII-XIX centuries. Plenary reports were delivered by Prof. Arno Stromayer (Austrian Academy of Sciences, University of Salzburg) and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Aleka Strezova (Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, New Bulgarian University). The scientific reports were presented in 11 thematic sessions, which aroused strong scientific and public interest and fruitful discussions. As a result of the scientific forum, a collective monograph in English will be published by a reputable academic publishing house. New and useful academic contacts were established between the Institute for Historical Studies and the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and future international partners.

The scientific event was organized by the Institute for Historical Studies at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, within the framework of a project for young scholars and postdoctoral students "Diplomacy and Intelligence in the Balkans, 17th - 19th centuries: The Human Factor and Networks of Influence", funded by the Scientific Research Fund at the Ministry of Education and Science.

The conference program can be found here.