On 22 June 2022, Paisii Hilendarski University of Plovdiv hosted a National Conference on the Bulgarian language, dedicated to Bulgarian speech and literature. President Rumen Radev opened the event.
The conference presented the priorities, formulated by three working groups meeting within the forum, on three main topics: learning Bulgarian as a foreign or second language; the status of lecturers abroad and the future expansion and strengthening of Bulgarian studies around the world; and the role of Bulgarian in cultural diplomacy and its place in Vice President Iliana Yotova’s project for a Bulgarian National Cultural Institute aiming to promote Bulgaria’s image around the world.
The forum was attended by university professors from all over Bulgaria, with representatives of academic institutes and three ministries—Education, Culture and Foreign Affairs—as well as the Executive Director of NEF ‘13 Centuries of Bulgaria’.
The Conference adopted a Final Declaration in support of the initiative of Vice President Ms Iliana Yotova for the establishment of the Bulgarian National Cultural Institute, and outlined the challenges facing the Bulgarian language and Bulgarian studies and their priority in national policies in education, culture, and diplomacy.