site.bta12th World Meeting of Bulgarian Media Begins in Prague

12th World Meeting of  Bulgarian Media  Begins in Prague

Prague, May 18 (BTA) - The 12th World Meeting of the Bulgarian Media was officially opened here on Tuesday. 

Bulgarian Ambassador to the Czech Republic Latchezar Petkov described the hosting of the meeting by Prague as the correct decision given the good relations between Bulgaria and the Czech Republic. The Bulgarian minority in this country has been officially recognized: around 40,000 Bulgarians live here and have evident presence in various spheres of Czech life. Bulgarian media and journalists in this country are also very active, he noted. Petkov added, however, that Bulgarian media abroad remain unknown to the audience in Bulgaria.
 
Among the persons who addressed the participants in the meeting at its opening were: Fisnik Abrashi, Associated Press Director for East-Central Europe, Czech News Agency Director General Jiri Majstr, Romania's AGERPRESS Director General Alexandru Giboi, and Vesselin Vachkov, head of the Lidove Noviny media group in the Czech Republic. Addresses were made on behalf of Sofia Mayor Yordanka Fandakova, Culture Minister Vezhdi Rashidov and parliamentary Media and Culture Committee Chair Polina Karastoyanova.

In a video address, UNESCO Secretary-General Irina Bokova said that this international forum is not just a meeting of the guild but also an opportunity to widen the connections between the Bulgarians abroad and at home.
  
The official part ended with the unveiling of an exhibition entitled "Bulgarian Czechs", a joint project of BTA and the Archives State Agency featuring 27 boards with photos and documents.

The 12th World Meeting of the Bulgarian Media is organized by BTA and the Association of Bulgarian Media Worldwide, with the support of CEZ Group, Vivacom, Sopharma and Aurubus Bulgaria.