President: "The Words We Speak Forge Our Path toward One Another"

Kristina Ivanova, Borislava Bibinovska

President Iliana Iotova is organizing the Third International Cyrillic Forum, titled "Cultural Heritage in the Digital Age", Sofia, March 25-26, 2026 (BTA Photo/Hristo Kasabov)

Sofia,

25.03.2026 12:29

(BTA)

President Iliana Iotova is organizing the Third International Cyrillic Forum, titled "Cultural Heritage in the Digital Age", on March 25 and 26. "The words we speak forge our path toward one another. We rarely stop to think about this connection," she said during her congratulatory speech.

"Words shape our worldview and through them, we love and we hate, although I am convinced that we all want to banish hatred from our vocabulary," Iotova added. "Bulgaria is the birthplace of the sacred Cyrillic alphabet. Our country's proud legacy in its 14-century history is the alphabet and our language," the President said.

This year's conference focuses on a commemorative anniversary of St John of Rila (876-946), marking 1,080 years since his passing.

The forum brings together scholars from the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and Bulgarian universities, alongside prominent speakers from Germany, Italy, Poland, Romania, Hungary, Kazakhstan and China. Presentations cover topics including the alphabet wars in the Slavic world, the language of the media, and the digitization of early printed editions in the 21st century. Two alumni of the National High School for Ancient Languages and Cultures will present their views on the Cyrillic and artificial intelligence.

Iotova explained that the goal is to amplify the voice of Bulgarian and Slavic studies around the world. "Now more than ever, we need to speak about our cultural heritage, and through it, about our future," she said.

In her speech, Iotova thanked the President of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Corresponding Member Evelina Slavcheva, and the director of the Sts. Cyrill and Methodius National Library, Assoc. Prof. Kalina Ivanova, for promoting the Bulgarian language and for their cooperation in organizing the forum. She also congratulated BTA's director general Kiril Valchev, and Bulgarian National Radio's director Milen Mitev. Iotova said that they are the best conduits who will succeed in preserving the Cyrillic alphabet for the future.

/NZ/