VP Iotova: "Our Task Is to Preserve and Develop the Bulgarian Language"

Diana Dukovska, BTA correspondent Dimitar Petkov

Vice President Iliana Iotova (pictured) on Day 2 of the international forum on the Cyrillic alphabet titled "Alphabet. Language. Identity", Plovdiv, June 28, 2024 (BTA Photo/Boyan Botev)

Plovdiv, South Central Bulgaria,

28.06.2024 15:41

(BTA)

Addressing an international forum on the Cyrillic alphabet titled "Alphabet. Language. Identity", Vice President Iliana Iotova said: "Our task is to preserve and develop the Bulgarian language." The two-day conference was held on her initiative. It opened in Sofia on Thursday, and its second session was held at the Plovdiv Regional History Museum on Friday.

Iotova suggested the third edition of the conference should be held in 2026.

"I did not expect such an interesting and ample forum. I believe that in a day and a half, we tried to synthesize the role of Bulgaria, Bulgarian literature and culture from the 9th to the 21st century - an undertaking deserving of great respect," said Iotova. In her words, "Bulgarian studies has a very great future". She stressed that the conference's attempt and desire to link this topic to the theme of identity had proved very interesting and fruitful.

The Vice President thanked all scholars participating in the forum, highlighting their role in the serious study of Bulgarian Studies in more places around the world. She expressed hope that Bulgarian studies will regain the importance it had in the past.

"There are some 2.5 million Bulgarians abroad and our task is to preserve and develop the Bulgarian language," Iotova said.

Participating in the forum were more than 30 distinguished Slavic scholars from 11 countries. Along with the Bulgarian participants, they discussed the significance 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.

/RY/