site.btaVice President Iotova: Creation of Bulgarian Cultural Institute Is Big Idea Requiring National Consensus

Sofia, July 31 (BTA) - Vice President Iliyana Iotova said Tuesday during a meeting with the leadership of the Association of Bulgarian Schools Abroad that the creation of a Bulgarian cultural institute similar to the Spanish Instituto Cervantes and the German Goethe Institute is a big idea whose implementation requires national consensus, the President's press secretariat said. Iotova said that the institute will be a strong instrument for cultural diplomacy, for promoting Bulgarian culture abroad, and for preserving the Bulgarian identity of Bulgarians abroad.

The idea for creating a Bulgarian cultural institute is not new. It is present in the strategy concerning Bulgarians abroad adopted in 2014. The idea is supported by many prominent Bulgarian intellectuals.

An expert group has now been established to come up with a concept for the institute.

The participant in Tuesday's meeting also discussed the admission in Bulgarian establishments of higher education of Bulgarians who were born abroad and studied abroad, problems of the Bulgarian language courses in foreign universities, Bulgarian Sunday schools abroad, among other topics.

Iotova voiced concern that Bulgarian language courses are no longer offered by a growing number of universities in big European cities. The Vice President is adamant that command of the Bulgarian language must be a mandatory condition for granting Bulgarian citizenship.