Antonina Stoyanova
| Antonina Stoyanova Антонина Стоянова Dr. | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 3rd First Lady of Bulgaria | |
|
In role 22 January 1997 – 22 January 2002 | |
| Preceded by | Mariya Zheleva |
| Succeeded by | Zorka Parvanova |
|
In role 1997–2002 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
17 February 1952 Sofia, Bulgaria |
| Spouse(s) | Petar Stoyanov |
| Children |
Stefan Teofana (Fany) |
| Alma mater | University of Leipzig |
Antonina Stoyanova (Bulgarian: Антонина Стоянова), née Naydenova, is a Bulgarian IP lawyer, diplomat and social activist, who was the First Lady of Bulgaria between 1997 and 2002, as the wife of the president of the Republic of Bulgaria Petar Stoyanov (1997–2002). She received her law degree and her Phd in international relations from the University of Leipzig.
Early life, education and professional practice
Antonina Stoyanova was born in Sofia, Bulgaria in a family of Bulgarian intellectuals. One of her grandmothers Maria Sutitch participated in the Revival Revolution for the liberation of Bulgaria from the Ottoman Empire, and fought under the leadership of the revolutionary hero Georgi Benkovski. She is related to Hristo Punev, a member of the National Parliament before 1944 and Olga Petrova, a famous actress at the National Theatre. Mrs Stoyanvova is also related to the Bulgarian graphic artist Veselin Staikov. After completing her high school education at an English Language School in Plovdiv, she went to study at the University of Leipzig, Germany, where she completed her Bachelor and Master's degree in International Law and got the highest grades in her year.. She joined the Bulgarian bar in 1979 and practiced law until 1992 when she became a diplomat at the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Mrs Stoyanova spent six months in the USA as part of a Bulgarian legal delegation whose aim was to exchange and accumulate information needed for the drafting of the New democraric Constitution of Bulgaria. In 1992 she practised commercial law in Cologne, Germany. In the same year she joined the diplomatic corps at the Bulgarian Embassy in London, UK where she was in charge of the legal affairs. In 1996 her husband Petar Stoyanov was elected President of the Republic of Bulgaria and she returned to her home country. As the First Lady of Bulgaria Mrs Stoyanova distinguished herself by dedicating her activity to social and cultural projects. In 1998 she founded the Values Foundation /www.values.bg/, whose main purpose is to support and promote the development of Bulgarian art, education and science as integral to the European cultural life, as well as to popularise Bulgarian achievements abroad. Following the end of the presidential mandate of her husband in 2002, Antonina Stoyanova went to work as a lawyer at the World Intellectual Property Organisation - WIPO in Geneva, Switzerland. In 2015 she returned to her home country and renewed her activity as a chairperson of the Values Foundation in Sofia.
A native speaker of Bulgarian, Antonina Stoyanova also speaks German, English, French and Russian.
Personal life
In 1978, as a trainee at the Plovdiv Regional Court, she met her future husband and President of the Republic of Bulgaria Petar Stoyanov. They married in 1979. They have two children: Stefan Stoyanov (born in 1979) and Teofana Stoyanova (born in 1990).
Honours and awards
Appreciation award by the Association of friends of children with cancer, awarded by Mrs Marianna Vardinoyanis, 08.06.2015.
Dame Commander Grand Cross, awarded by the King of Sweden, 2000.
The Grand Cross, awarded by the Queen of Denmark, 2000.
Merito civil, awarded by the King and Queen of Spain, 14.07.1999.
Grand Cross of the Order of the Redemeer, awarded by the President of the Republic of Greece, 1999.
Grand Cordon of the Order of the precious crown, awarded to Mrs. Stoyanova during a State Visit in Japan, 1997.