Sofia Hosts 135th SOS for Cultural Heritage Discussion

Nikolay Zabov

135th SOS for Cultural Heritage discussion in Sofia, February 10, 2025. From left: Andrey Tchorbanov, Irena Georgieva, Marian Bachev, Slavka Bozukova, Iliana Iotova, Ivan Ivanov, Movement for Rights and Freedoms - New Beginning Deputy Chair Iskra Mihaylova-Koparova, Committee on Culture and Media Deputy Chair Dimitar Nikolov, Geotechmin OOD Executive Director Dominic Hamers (BTA Photo/Vladimir Shokov)

Sofia,

10.02.2025 15:23

(BTA)

The 135th SOS for Cultural Heritage discussion, part of the The Wonders of Bulgaria initiative, took place here on Monday.

Slavka Bozukova, head of the Association Cultural Heritage Society, said that a memorandum for the protection, development and promotion of Bulgaria's cultural heritage has already been drafted to be signed and will be submitted to the Council of Ministers and the National Assembly on Tuesday.

Vice President Iotova: Culture should not be a luxury policy

Vice President Iliana Iotova said she was glad to see a full room, even though the initiative used to be mostly ignored in the beginning. She added: "Our great pain today is how far we could continue to develop this initiative."

The Vice President pointed out that this year marks 1170 since the Bulgarian people converted to Christianity and 1160 year since they adopted the Slavonic script and added: "I see no institutions that have started preparations to celebrate these dates. It seems to me that it would be extremely disgraceful if these anniversaries were to be marked piecemeal, with each institution marking them separately."

The Vice President urged the ministers and MPs present not to forget about culture when voting on the 2025 state budget, because culture should not be considered a "luxury policy".

Iotova reported that she had heard concerns that Bulgaria was about to withdraw from hosting the 47th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee. She said: "I personally would not like to experience this scandal and this humiliation. I think one of the messages that should be delivered from this room today is that everything possible should be done to make Bulgaria a worthy host of this incredible event in July."

Minister of Culture: There will be no neglected sectors

Minister of Culture Marian Bachev said: "Even though my background is in theatre, I know what is behind the scenes of archaeology and museums, and I assure you that there will be no neglected sectors. Archaeological and cultural sites should have sustainable funding, museums [should have] decent subsidies." He added that the unique relics present in Bulgaria are not only testimonies of the country's past but also invaluable resources for the future.

Minister of Regional Development and Public Works: What has been lost over the years must be recovered

Minister of Regional Development and Public Works Ivan Ivanov said "I believe that we will be able to cooperate with my colleagues from the Council of Ministers, the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Tourism to give even more impetus to tourism, to the preservation and development of our cultural and historical heritage, because these topics are important not only for our national self-esteem, but also for the development of our economy, and hence, for a better standard of living in Bulgaria. What has been lost over the years needs to be urgently recovered."

The discussion was attended by the Deputy Minister of Tourism Irena Georgieva, the Chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Education and Science Chairperson Andrey Tchorbanov, MPs, archaeologists.

/RY/