site.btaPresident Radev Receives Board Members of South-East European International Institute for Sustainable Technologies

Sofia, January 30 (BTA) - President Rumen Radev Tuesday received the board members of the South-East European International Institute for Sustainable Technologies, his press centre reported. He told his guests that the Balkan countries should demonstrate clearly to the EU institutions their unity and political will to create an international institute for sustainable technologies in Southeast Europe - a project that would promote the EU integration process in this region in the sphere of science, education and medicine, and would create a new perspective for technological exchange and professional realization of young scientists.

Participating in the meeting were ministers and deputy ministers of education, science and technologies as well as secretaries of state from Western Balkan countries, and leading European scientists working at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN).

Radev went on to say that the project's key parameters should be outlined in the following months and the countries supporting it should sign a memorandum of cooperation to be presented to the EU. The Bulgarian Presidency of the EU Council should be used to make progress, he added. It is of exceptional importance to get the institute recognized as part of the European scientific infrastructure in order to secure funding, Radev underscored.

The representatives of Balkan countries expressed their gratitude to President Radev for giving the necessary high-level support to the scientists in the region for the realization of this project. It was noted during the meeting that the scientific communities in the Balkans have long been communicating without limitations in the universal language of science, and it is important for them to receive the political leaders' support.