site.btaVP Calls for Continued Exploration of Bulgarian and Slavic Cultural Heritage

Addressing an international forum on the Cyrillic Alphabet, Vice President Iliana Iotova called for "continued exploration of the rich Bulgarian and Slavic cultural heritage, and drawing strength from its wisdom". The event was opened Thursday by President Rumen Radev at the National Palace of Culture in Sofia. The two-day conference was initiated by the Vice President and will continue in Plovdiv on Friday.

Iotova pointed out that the Chyrillic letter "Б" (B) is a symbol of the forum and is designed by the author of the Bulgarian Coat of Arms, Prof. Kiril Gogov. In Iotova’s words, it is not just a letter, it reveals Bulgarian mission to preserve the Cyrillic alphabet, to spread the word, praised by Konstantin Preslavski (a medieval Bulgarian scholar, writer and translator).

Vice President said that Bulgarian medieval culture is among the 70 civilizations in the history that played a responsible mediating role of a connecting link between the East and the West.

The two-day conference Alphabet. Language. Identity is a follow-up to a forum organized in 2022 with the support of the Ministry of Education and Science. Over 30 renowned Slavic studies specialists from 11 countries, together with their Bulgarian colleagues, will discuss the importance of letters, words, language, and culture for the Slavic heritage, its preservation and dissemination in today’s world, and the importance of language and identity in the processes of globalization. The key role of Bulgaria in the creation of the third Christian civilization - the Slavic one - will be highlighted.