site.btaBulgaria to Submit Application for Inscription of Rose Valley on UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List

Bulgaria will submit application forms for the inscription of the Rose Valley on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List and for its registration in the Global Agricultural System of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). This was announced during a discussion between representatives of state and local authorities, cultural institutions, rose growers and processors, held in Kazanlak on Monday. The forum was organized by the Essential Oils, Perfumery and Cosmetics National Association, the Agriculture and Food Ministry and the Kazanlak Municipality.

The forum was opened by the association's chair, Gergana Andreeva, who underscored that the goal of the initiative is the preservation and promotion of the Rose Valley as an intangible cultural and economic heritage of global importance. She noted that the focus is on preserving the traditions related to the production of oil-bearing roses, as well as on the opportunities for regional and international cooperation through the mechanisms of UNESCO and FAO.

Kazanlak Mayor Galina Stoyanova stated that it is the local community and rose growers who are the guardians of the tradition in the Valley. She expressed hope that the initiative would establish rose production as a national value and emphasized that Bulgaria is recognizable in the world with the oil-producing rose and the Rose Festival, but a more active institutional effort is needed to establish this tradition as a livelihood and culture.

Amelia Gesheva from the Tourism Ministry stressed that such a candidacy is an act of recognition, a brand that distinguishes the country for its preserved cultural heritage and social practices. She recalled that this year, at the initiative of Tourism Minister Miroslav Borshosh, has been declared the Year of Cultural Heritage. Gesheva assured that the Tourism Ministry will assist with everything necessary to support the upcoming application process.

Petar Kirovski from the Agriculture and Food Ministry emphasized that the Ministry has always defended the interests of rose production and such is the policy, and today's participation is a confirmation of this and of the leadership's desire for the initiative to become a reality.

Dafinka Prokopova from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed confidence that through coordinated efforts, solutions will be developed that will lead to international recognition of rose oil and the cultural values ​​of the Rose Valley both within the framework of FAO and UNESCO.