site.btaPM Radev Holds Talks with Bulgarian Exarchate Foundation Representatives

Prime Minister Rumen Radev held a meeting with representatives of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation of the Orthodox Churches of the Bulgarian Exarchate in the Republic of Turkiye, the government press service said in a press release on Wednesday. During the meeting, activities aimed at preserving and promoting the Bulgarian cultural and spiritual heritage abroad, as well as initiatives in support of the Bulgarian community in Turkiye, were discussed.

The Prime Minister said that the successors of the Bulgarian Exarchate in Istanbul have a key role in preserving the Bulgarian identity, language, culture and spiritual traditions among the Bulgarian community in Turkiye. Radev thanked them for their hard work in preserving Bulgarian holy sites and monuments.

For his part, the chair of the board of trustees, Dimitri Yotef, noted that he is working to preserve Bulgarian cultural traditions and spirituality, which will be inherited by future generations. "We thank you for the support you provide to Bulgarian communities abroad," he told Radev.

During the conversation, a property of the Bulgarian Exarchate in the Sisli district of Istanbul was discussed, on which a large-scale project for the construction of a large commercial, office and residential complex is currently being implemented. Radev and Yotef discussed the possibility of building a Bulgarian cultural centre within the framework of the future complex. The PM expressed the readiness of the Bulgarian State, through the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Tourism, to assist in the implementation of the initiative. "Such a cultural centre would become an important centre for preserving the Bulgarian identity abroad," the Prime Minister stated.

The meeting also focused on the condition of the Bulgarian churches St. George and St. St. Constantine and Elena in Edirne and the necessary measures for their maintenance and renovation. Radev announced that the Bulgarian State is providing financial support in the amount of EUR 100,000 for the Bulgarian community in Istanbul and EUR 20,000 for the Bulgarian churches in Edirne. "This support is an expression of the State's commitment to preserving the spiritual and cultural connection with the Bulgarian communities abroad and it will continue," said Radev.