site.btaJapanese Kizuna Centre to be Established in Sofia

Japanese Kizuna Centre to be Established in Sofia

Sofia, May 11 (BTA) - Vice President Iliana Iotova and the Executive Director of the Japan-Bulgaria Association for Friendship and Cultural Relations, Akiko Igaya, had a working meeting on May 10. They discussed the two countries' economic and cultural cooperation, paying special attention to a project to establish a Japanese Kizuna Centre in Sofia, the President's press secretariat reported.

Iotova said Bulgaria and Japan have much potential to develop their economic relations, both in terms of country-to-country ties and in the context of Japan's relations with the EU. Igaya noted that Bulgaria is a gateway for Japan's small and medium-sized enterprises to Europe.

Discussing the future Kizuna Centre in Sofia, Iotova praised the initiative to have a single centre for both cultural and business exchange. She said: "In our troubled and dangerous world, we need to teach our children to respect different cultures, which will be one of the major contributions of the Kizuna Centre."

Igaya said the centre should be built by 2019, when three important anniversaries will be celebrated: 110 years since the first contacts between the Bulgarian royal family and the Japanese imperial family, 80 years of bilateral diplomatic relations, and 60 years since bilateral diplomatic relations were restored after World War II. Igaya noted that Sofia City Hall has already made a decision on the project and a site has been chosen for the future centre. An agreement on the construction of the facility is to be signed.

According to Iotova, the programme for the creation of the centre is ambitious yet realistic. She pointed to the need for a structured campaign to popularize Kizuna in Bulgarian schools. She said the future centre will provide an opportunity for school students to study the Japanese language and culture.

The Bulgarian Vice President was asked to head a steering committee which can comprise one representative from each Bulgarian government agency that has received grants from the Japanese government. The organizers will try to arrange for a member of the Japanese imperial family to attend the inauguration of the Kizuna Centre in Sofia.