CENTER FOR REGIONAL AND CONFESSIONAL STUDIES Sofia, Bulgaria
Center for Regional and Confessional Studies (CRCS) is Bulgarian non-governmental, non-profit and non-partisan organization. It succeeded to Bulgarian Center for Middle Eastern Studies (established in April 1999) and Bulgarian Center for Middle East Studies (rebuilt in August 1999).
Its leading tasks are disseminating knowledge, delving into regional issues, enlightening confessional meanders through providing outstanding analysis and detailed studies. Beyond tree-years accumulated experience the bulk of former BCMES staff decided to broad the main research threads and to renew the methodological approaches. In succeeding to the positive steps and practices committed before CRCS would conduct its activities as follows:
Gathering an information for worldwide spotlights with special focus on Southeast Europe and adjacent subregions such as Middle East, Central Asia, Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and Caspian Sea. CRCS staff aims to lead professed quests and to provide ensuing varied corollaries (books, monographs, articles, papers, terrain works and different educational resources) in the field of international relations. The center experts keep their eastward regional topic preferences (as quoted above) meanwhile European and American folders are not bypassed and neglected.
Confessional problems fit well CRCS staff professional leanings. September 11 events triggered interfaith studies and expanded the scope of East-West, Islam-Christianity intricate relations. Our experts will gain an insight into Balkan religious and ethnic powder magazine, will unveil local confessional puzzle and will deepen such matter from theoretical point of view in reckoning with Middle East, Central Asian and similar areas' experience. A comparative approach is abetted and it remains the main research tool.
CRCS seeks to maintain multifaceted contacts with foreign partners in stretching out to implement collaborative initiatives on mutually advantageous basis.
