The 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Sovereign Military Order of Malta and the Republic of Bulgaria, established on 11 November 1994, was celebrated on Wednesday, 26 June 2024, on the occasion of the National Day for the feast of St John the Baptist, the Order's patron saint.

A decade later, in 2005, the Order of Malta's Embassy was opened in Sofia

Dipl.-Ing. Plamen Dilkov and Mrs Elena Dilkova attended the reception organised by the Ambassador of the Sovereign Order of Malta H.E. Ursula Höfter Zuccoli at the Royal Palace of Vrana.

The Order of Malta was founded 930 years ago in Jerusalem by medieval knights from various European nations - German, Italian, Spanish and French - to help ordinary pilgrims arriving in the city after a long journey, fatigued by the road and with nowhere to sleep. So the knights, who came from wealthy families, decided to build the first hospital and house all the pilgrims there.

In Bulgaria, the Sovereign Order of Malta is known for a number of charitable projects related to hospital equipment for various medical centres, assistance to the homeless, refugees and the needy during the winter months.