site.bta Bulgarian President Opens UNESCO Leaders' Forum

Bulgarian President Opens UNESCO Leaders' Forum

Paris, November 16 (BTA special correspondent Nikolai Stanoev) -
 "We are all Parisians," Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev
said in the French capital on Monday, opening the Leaders' Forum
 of UNESCO's 38th General Conference. The two-day forum is
dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the UN education and
culture agency.

Plevneliev said: "We were supposed to get together for a good
thing: the 70th anniversary of UNESCO. But now, it is a sad time
 in the wake of the terrorist attacks in the French capital." He
 stressed, though, that Parisians know how to live together,
regardless of their race, ethnic identity and religion, guided
by the principles of liberty, equality and fraternity.

"Having gone through two world wars, united Europe can spearhead
 a concerted international effort to suppress extremism. This
implies more integration, not less," the Bulgarian President
said. He criticized the attempts of populist, nationalist
parties to use the Paris attacks for their own purposes.

He underscored UNESCO's important role in countering extremism
and terrorism. "For 70 years now, UNESCO has been building peace
 in the minds of the people. This one-of-a-kind organization is
the leading forum for protecting the world's cultural and
historical heritage," Plevneliev said.

He noted UNESCO's role in Syria and many other places. Five
years since breaking out, the Syrian conflict remains a major
challenge to the international community, he said. Plevneliev
expressed his regret that hundreds of thousands of Syrian
children take the risk of trying to get to Europe via the
Mediterranean Sea instead of going to school. "These people seek
 nothing but human dignity," he said, warning of rising
nationalist sentiment in Europe. "The right solution is
different, it takes tolerance, democracy and respect for human
rights," he said.

The Bulgarian President was the first to address the UNESCO
Leaders' Forum after its agenda was changed due to last Friday's
 tragic events in Paris. In the wake of the terrorist attacks,
some of the state and government leaders who were going to
attend the meeting cancelled their visits.

Before the forum, Plevneliev had a brief session with UNESCO
Director General Irina Bokova.