site.btaSpanish Polar Committee Head Highlights Importance of Bulgaria Bringing Antarctica's Spirit to Other Balkan Countries

The way Bulgaria presents its activities, helps the Balkan countries to go to Antarctica and shows others the spirit of the Ice Continent is very important, Spanish Polar Committee head Antonio Quesada told BTA on Saturday. He was a participant in the International Polar Conference for cooperation between Balkan countries in the polar regions under the European programmes EUPolarNet-2 and POLARIN. The two-day forum was held in Aheloy and part of its program was the presentation of the English version of the issue of LIK magazine dedicated to Bulgarian scientific achievements in Antarctica.

Quesada stressed the importance of showing that Antarctica is the future of science. With the opportunity to bring new people from the Balkan countries, the potential for more science, more sharing and more activities is also emerging, he added.

Asked what can be learned from the Balkan countries by states with a long experience in Antarctica, Quesada replied that after so many years spent on the Ice Continent, he understood very well how important each person and each country is. The change that comes with smaller programmes is fantastic, he noted. It brings new approaches, new ways of thinking, which is a very powerful tool when doing activities there, the head of the Spanish Polar Committee said.

As chairman of the Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs (COMNAP), involved in the logistics of all Antarctic countries, he said that this organization understands very well that everyone on the Ice Continent needs each other, regardless of the size, activity and budget they have. "We work very well together and that is very important," Quesada underlined.

For him, meeting new people who want to explore Antarctica is always interesting. "Then you feel that you have an opportunity to help others become members, but you also understand that they support you and bring new ideas and methods to work with. Each individual perspective is really helpful for everyone," Quesada added.

"I think that new Balkan countries that are willing and able to participate in Antarctic research projects are more than welcome and we really look forward to their new ideas and approaches," he said.

During the launch of the LIK magazine, Quesada also mentioned that Spain organizes an open call every year to journalists and media who apply to send teams. There are 14 places for them in the expedition and the selection is handled by a committee. There were TV, print and radio journalists, as well as writers and artists, in Antarctica with them. One of Spain's recent good examples of this practice is the invitation of two popular YouTube content creators who have reached an audience of 8 million people with their videos. "One did a documentary series for TV, coming with a team from Spanish TV, and the quality was great. More importantly, however, he was able to reach a young audience," Quesada said.

He also told BTA that there are risks with misrepresenting Antarctica on social media, but if enough time is spent training people that share the information in what they can photograph in such a place, they will really show the most important and essential things. “If the media you lead are good, they will do their job great. Yes, sometimes they want us to do things we do not want to do, repeat something or be with us in hard-to-reach places that make it difficult, but that is their job. If you are confident enough in what you are doing, you cannot go wrong," he added.