site.bta"The Saga of Thracian Kings" Exhibition Unveiled at Louvre

"The Saga of Thracian Kings" Exhibition Unveiled at Louvre

Paris, April 14 (BTA Special Correspondent Nikolay Jeliazkov) -
Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said that Bulgaria is returning to its place of a respected European country, after it had been in isolation for a year and a half. Borissov was speaking to Bulgarian journalists in Paris on the occasion of Tuesday's opening of "The Saga of Thracian Kings: Archaeological Finds in Bulgaria" exhibition at the Louvre. "We have the confidence to say it: for the first time the Louvre opens its doors to a foreign exhibition," the Bulgarian PM added.

Borissov specified that his French counterpart Manuel Valls, as well as French President Francois Hollande and ex-president Nicolas Sarkozy (2007-2012) declared how important and stable Bulgaria is and what a good partner it is. Bulgarian Culture Minister Vezhdi Rashidov described the exhibition's opening as a contact with the height of world culture. He and Borissov told journalists that the exhibition has already been requested by Russia, the United Kingdom, Romania, Croatia and Morocco. The Prime Minister added that it is being negotiated with the French President on the exhibition of Louvre items in Sofia.

Representatives of the Louvre told journalists that as of next week, "The Saga of Thracian Kings" will be advertised at 300 stations of Paris' underground railway system.

Earlier on Tuesday, Bulgarian Culture Minister Rashidov and French Minister of Culture and Communication Fleur Pellerin signed here a joint declaration on the protection of copyright and cultural heritage. The declaration was signed at the French Culture Ministry during a working meeting between the two ministers, attended by the Chair of the Bulgarian Culture and Media Parliamentary Committee, Polina Karastoyanova, the French Ambassador to Bulgaria, Xavier Lapeyre de Cabanes, and members of the two delegations, the Culture Ministry said in a press release.

Rashidov and Pellerin agreed on more active cooperation between the two countries' national film centres on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Bulgarian cinema, as well as active joint work in the fields of library work and cultural heritage. During the meeting Minister Rashidov voiced support for the proposal to the European Union, currently drafted by France and Italy, to digitalize the valuable cultural heritage of Iraq and Syria, some of which has been destroyed.

The Palais des congres de Paris will cooperate with Sofia's National Palace of Culture (NDK), it emerged during a meeting between NDK Director Miroslav Borshosh and Palais de Congres Director Pascal Reungoat, said NDK in a Tuesday press release.

Bulgarian PM Discusses Gas Projects with French President

Speaking to journalists about his talks with French President Hollande on the topic of Bulgarian energy projects and the creation of a gas hub near Varna (on the Black Sea), Prime Minister Borissov said that with more common sense and with the discipline and stability which Bulgaria has, at the end everyone will be convinced, even the Russian side, that Bulgaria is a loyal EU Member State but also that it has proposed the most correct solutions.

"It is a fact that South Stream [gas pipeline project] was suspended by the European Commission [EC]. Common sense should prevail at the EC and the European Council, as well as on Russia's part, and the sooner the sanctions [against Russia] are lifted, the better for the European countries, including Bulgaria, and for Russia itself," Borissov told journalists. This is why Bulgaria proposes a solution which is favourable for everyone: a gas hub where gas can come from several places, he specified.

Taking a question about his meeting with Hollande, the PM said that they discussed economy, culture, art, security and Schengen. In Borissov's words, the French President committed to becoming a driving force in Bulgaria's energy projects. "Everyone understands that what is being done at the moment are counter-sanctions by Russia against Bulgaria, without Bulgaria having any fault. Simply because we have been disciplined and strictly observing the agreements we have with the EU. I am convinced that the other countries will also observe these at some point, therefore we are not looking for confrontation, but quite the opposite - what is favourable - and the gas hub in Varna is exactly this," Borissov said. In his words, French companies have a huge interest in this development.

On Tuesday, Borissov also talked with Nicolas Sarkozy, former French President and leader of the Union for a Popular Movement, the GERB press centre said. Sarkozy assured Borissov of his support for GERB within the European People's Party from the very first day and of the perfect cooperation between GERB and the Union for a Popular Movement.