Irina Bokova

During their stay in Bulgaria, on May 8, 2009, the participants in the international conference on “Protection of Cultural Heritage and Promotion of Cultural Diversity – a Response to Globalization” visited the National Assembly, where they met with the Chairman of the National Assembly of Bulgaria, Mr Georgi Pirinski. At the meeting, Mr Pirinski and Mr Ivan Ilchev, Rector of the University of Sofia, spoke on the subject 130 years of Parliamentarism in Bulgaria, thus presenting both a historical and contemporary view on parliamentary life in Bulgaria. National representatives from the Committee on Culture also took part in the talks.

The Chairman of the National Assembly pointed out that he valued highly the interest in our country shown by such a widely represented membership of the leading body of UNESCO and expressed gratitude to the organiser of the visit, Bulgarian ambassador to France and Permanent Representative to UNESCO, Mrs Irina Bokova.

Mr Pirinski informed the guests that one of the acts of the National Assembly subjected to a most circumstantial discussion during the past months was precisely the new law on protection of cultural heritage.

Representatives of several UNESCO member-states, among which were Nigeria, Morocco, Lebanon, Madagascar, and Hungary, expressed their gratitude for the opportunity to visit “the temple of Bulgarian parliamentary life” and emphasised the contribution of Ambassador Bokova in acquainting them with Bulgarian cultural values and the protection of world cultural and historical heritage.

After the meeting, the participants in the conference had their photograph taken in front of the building of the National Assembly, after which they visited the exhibition “Constituent Assembly Members” in the small park outside the Parliament.

Later that evening, a cocktail party was hosted at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by Mr Ivailo Kalfin, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria.