NEWS

Vice President: The Bulgarian National Cultural Institute will restore Bulgaria's place in the global cultural puzzle

Such an institute would have helped us to make a stronger statement and spread the Bulgarian position on the controversial issues with the Republic of North Macedonia, Iliana Iotova says at the National Conference "European Perspective on Good Neighbourly Relations between the Republic of Bulgaria and the Republic of North Macedonia"

"With the establishment of the Bulgarian National Cultural Institute Bulgaria will regain its deserved place in the world cultural puzzle. We have given a lot and we have a lot to give to the world - Bulgaria has the oldest state tradition in Europe, it has created a written language, it has formed a spiritual space that has spread far beyond its borders." This is what Vice President Iliana Iotova said at the National Conference "European Perspective on Good Neighbourly Relations between the Republic of Bulgaria and the Republic of North Macedonia", held under the patronage of President Rumen Radev.

Iotova pointed out that the goal of the presidential institution was for Bulgaria to show its cultural face to the world through a unified national cultural policy. "The Bulgarian National Cultural Institute, following the example of Goethe, Cervantes, the French Cultural Institute and many others, is a strong instrument of gentle diplomacy. With a clear agenda and goals, it will also help the Bulgarian state's relations with our compatriots around the world," the Vice President added, highlighting Bulgaria's lost cultural positions around the world. As an example, she mentioned the drastically reduced number of lectures on Bulgarian language and culture in leading universities - from over 200 some years ago to only 39 at present.

The Vice President is convinced that the Bulgarian National Cultural Institute would have helped Bulgaria to make a stronger statement and to spread the Bulgarian position on the contentious issues with the Republic of North Macedonia. In her address to the forum, Iotova shared her impressions from 20 days ago, when she had inaugurated the renovated club of the "Ivan Mihaylov Cultural Centre" in Bitola. "We inaugurated the renovated Bulgarian home where generations will be educated in Bulgarian traditions, Bulgarian culture, spirituality and identity. Unfortunately, this event was again grabbed by our North Macedonian neighbours in the clutches of heavy propaganda and hate speech," Iliana Iotova said.

She is adamant that over the years the Bulgarian state has lost many opportunities for greater activity in relations with the Republic of North Macedonia and has failed to explain its position to its European partners.

"We cannot take a step back from the rights of the Macedonian Bulgarians. If we dare to compromise with the human rights on which the European Union is built, we have no place in the European family," Iotova stressed.

She described as extremely wrong the calls for Bulgaria to lift the veto and for the problems to be solved in the process of the EU membership negotiations. "Practice shows that if a country enters the EU with its problems, they get worse," the vice-president explained.

"I believe that Bulgaria will continue to defend its consolidated position, achieved with the efforts of several governments, the presidential institution, the scientific community and society. We have to be aware that a breakthrough will only be achieved when we clear up the bilateral problems between us, no matter how many times the EU commissioner for enlargement policy comes to Sofia," Iotova pointed out.

"There are many voices that divide the heroes into ours and theirs. On today's memorable date, when we pay tribute to Gotse Delchev, we must again make it clear - heroes belong to the people for whom they gave their most precious thing - their lives. It is the people who say who is a hero," the Vice President said.