Activities at the Council of Ministers of Culture of the countries of Southeast Europe

The third meeting of the Ministers of Culture of Southeast Europe, presided by the Minister of Culture of Republic of Bulgaria, Prof. Stefan Danailov was held in Sofia between 23 and 25 March 2007. The Prime minister of Republic of Bulgaria , Mr. Sergej Stanishev, greeted the meeting.

Our delegation, led by the Deputy Minister, Mr. Slobodan Despotovski, was comprised of Ms.Julia Trichkovska MA, National Coordinator of the Project of the Council of Europe, Ms. Lidija Topuzovska, Secretary General of the National Committee for UNESCO, and Ms. Divna Trichkovska, representative of the Embassy of Republic of Macedonia in Republic of Bulgaria .

One of the main topics at the meeting was the summing of the results from the activities that were agreed at the previous meeting of the Council of Ministers of Culture of Southeast Europe ( Varna , June 2006) in relation with the implementing of the strategy for “the Cultural corridors”. The representatives from the Council of Europe had presented the perspectives of the several projects that since 2003 are being developed in the framework of the Regional program, as a good basis for further successful cooperation of the countries from the region in the field of protection and popularization of the cultural heritage.

Special attention was dedicated to the possibilities offered by the projects supported by the Central European Initiative (CEI) in the process of multilateral cooperation of the countries from the region in the field of culture, with special emphasis on the cultural heritage. In that regard, were presented the several already started operational programs for inter-border cooperation of Republic of Bulgaria .

The high representatives of the ministries for culture of the countries of Southeast Europe had adopted an act, that under the motto “The cultural differences a bridge between the cultural heritage and the culture of the future”, was addressed to the presidents of the countries from the region, in order to be discussed at their meeting-forum that is supposed to be held in Sibiu, Republic of Romania (7-8 June 2007).